Right-Leaning Groups Back International Data Privacy Bill

The Hill published an article covering the Communications Privacy Act and references the Competitive Enterprise Institute. 

A coalition of right-leaning groups is pressing Congress to act on legislation that would create a new legal framework that allows law enforcement to access U.S. electronic communications held on servers abroad.

The bipartisan bill, called the International Communications Privacy Act, has been introduced by Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in the House, and Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Christopher Coons(D-Del.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) in the Senate. 

The bill seeks to clarify the process by which law enforcement obtains electronic data on U.S. citizens for investigations, regardless of the location of the communications. It would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant for all content. It would also allow law enforcement to, in certain circumstances, obtain electronic communications on foreign nationals. 

On Wednesday, right-leaning organizations including Americans for Tax Reform and the R Street Institute wrote to leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees pressing them to swiftly consider the bill.

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“The current laws were written for the era of the floppy disk, not the world of the cloud,” Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith wrote in a blog post last week reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision. “We believe that rather than arguing over an old law in court, it is time for Congress to act by passing new legislation, such as the International Communications Privacy Act.” 

Wednesday’s letter was also signed by leaders of the National Taxpayers Union, Competitive Enterprise Institute, and FreedomWorks, in addition to other groups.

Read the full article at The Hill.