Septembei 9, 2u14

The Bonoiable Kevin NcCaithy

Najoiity Leauei
0.S. Bouse of Repiesentatives
Washington, BC 2uS1S

Beai Leauei NcCaithy,

We wiite to uige you to biing to the flooi B.R. 18S2, the bipaitisan Youei-Polis bill
upuating the Electionic Communications Piivacy Act (ECPA).

0puating ECPA woulu iesponu to the ueeply helu conceins of Ameiicans about theii
piivacy. B.R. 18S2 woulu make it cleai that the waiiant stanuaiu of the 0.S.
Constitution applies to piivate uigital infoimation just as it applies to physical
piopeity.

The Youei-Polis bill woulu aiu Ameiican companies seeking to innovate anu
compete globally. It woulu eliminate outuateu uisciepancies between the legal
piocess foi goveinment access to uata stoieu locally in one's home oi office anu the
piocess foi the same uata stoieu with thiiu paities in the Inteinet "clouu."
Consumeis anu businesses laige anu small aie incieasingly taking auvantage of the
efficiencies offeieu by web-baseu seivices. Ameiican companies have been leaueis
in this fielu. Yet ECPA, wiitten in 1986, says that uata stoieu in the clouu shoulu be
affoiueu less piotection than uata stoieu locally. Removing unceitainty about the
stanuaius foi goveinment access to uata stoieu online will encouiage consumeis
anu companies, incluuing those outsiue the 0.S., to utilize these seivices.

B.R. 18S2 woulu not impeue law enfoicement. The 0.S. Bepaitment of }ustice
alieauy follows the waiiant-foi-content iule of B.R. 18S2. The only iesistance to
iefoim comes fiom civil iegulatoiy agencies that want an exception allowing them
to obtain the content of customei uocuments anu communications uiiectly fiom
thiiu paity seivice pioviueis. That woulu expanu goveinment powei; goveinment
iegulatois cuiiently cannot compel seivice pioviueis to uisclose theii customeis'
communications. It woulu piejuuice the innovative seivices that we want to
suppoit, cieating one pioceuuie foi uata stoieu locally anu a uiffeient one foi uata
stoieu in the clouu. Foi these ieasons, we oppose a caive-out foi iegulatoiy
agencies oi othei iules that woulu tieat piivate uata uiffeiently uepenuing on the
type of technology useu to stoie it.

B.R. 18S2 is co-sponsoieu by ovei 26u Nembeis, incluuing a majoiity of the
majoiity. We uige you to biing it to the flooi. We believe it woulu pass
oveiwhelmingly, pioving to Ameiicans anu the iest of the woilu that the 0.S. legal
system values piivacy in the uigital age.

Sinceiely,
2

Auobe
ACT | The App Association
Ameiican Association of Law Libiaiies
Ameiican Civil Libeities 0nion
Ameiican Libiaiy Association
Ameiicans foi Tax Refoim
A0L
Apple
A Small 0iange
Association of Reseaich Libiaiies
Automattic
Autonet Nobile
Blacklight
Biennan Centei foi }ustice at NY0 Law School
BSA | The Softwaie Alliance
Centei foi Bemociacy & Technology
Centei foi Financial Piivacy anu Buman Rights
Cheval Capital
ClouuTech1
Coue uuaiu
Coughlin Associates
Competitive Enteipiise Institute
Computei & Communications Inuustiy Association (CCIA)
The Constitution Pioject
Council foi Citizens Against uoveinment Waste
Bata Founuiy
Bigital Libeity
Biiect Naiketing Association
Bisconnect
Biscoveiy Institute
Bistiibuteu Computing Inuustiy Association (BCIA)
Biopbox
BuckBuckuo
Enuuiance Inteinational uioup
Eveinote
Electionic Fiontiei Founuation
Engine Auvocacy
Facebook
Fouisquaie
FieeuomWoiks
Futuie of Piivacy Foium
uanui
uoluen Fiog
uoogle
Bewlett-Packaiu
S
Infoimation Technology Inuustiy Council (ITI)
The Inteinet Association
Intuit
Inteinet Infiastiuctuie Coalition (i2Coalition)
Kwaai 0ak
Less uoveinment
LinkeuIn
Neuia Science Inteinational (NSI)
Niciosoft
NetChoice
New Ameiica's 0pen Technology Institute
Newspapei Association of Ameiica
0iacle
Peei1 Bosting
Peisonal
Rackspace
Recoius Pieseivation anu Access Committee
R Stieet Institute
ieuuit
ScieenPlay
Seivint
Softwaie & Infoimation Inuustiy Association (SIIA)
Symantec
Taxpayeis Piotection Alliance
Tech Assets
TechFieeuom
TechNet
Tucows
Tumbli
Twittei
0.S. Chambei of Commeice
Yahoo! Inc.