House passes electronic surveillance reform

The House voted unanimously on Wednesday to reform a three-decade-old law that allows the federal government to snoop on electronic communications without a warrant.

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The Email Privacy Act had already been assured of passage earlier in the week, with 314 of the chamber’s 435 members signing on as cosponsors. The legislation would amend the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act to require law enforcement to obtain warrants before engaging in surveillance of online communication like email. The law presently requires only a subpoena for accessing messages older than 180 days.