Demand that the government respect your right to privacy. Support the Email Privacy Act (HR.699)

It is with great anticipation that I would like to update everyone on a current policy issue that we at Hedgehog have been actively engaged in for over three years now.  The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 has been in dire need of updating and the time has finally come.  TOMORROW, the US House of Representatives is voting on the E-mail Privacy Act (HR.699) and we need your help to ensure that everyone's voice of support is heard.

The brief description of this bill ensures that law enforcement is required to get a warrant before forcing technology companies to hand over customer emails, no matter how old they are.  This bill would end ECPA’s arbitrary “180-day rule,” which permits email communications to be obtained without a warrant after 180 days. The Act would also reject the Department of Justice interpretation of ECPA that the act of opening an email removes it from warrant protection. These reforms would ratify the Sixth Circuit’s decision in U.S. v. Warshak, which held that email content is protected by the Fourth Amendment and that law enforcement access requires a probable cause warrant. Moreover, the changes reflect current practices in the DOJ and FBI.  These policies already require law enforcement officials seeking content to obtain a search warrant, and many service providers, especially Hedgehog, will not relinquish their users’ content without one.

Please urge your members of Congress to vote YES to the Email Privacy Act.  It only takes a minute, I PROMISE!  Follow this link:

http://p2a.co/emailprivacyact

and after you have filled out the few easy fields please send it to everyone you can.  You can send it to Facebook and Twitter just by clicking on the social media links on the website.

As many of you may remember from past blog posts, I attended the very first markups of the Senate version of this bill over three years ago and as I said to Dominic Bonaiuto, Gerry Connolly's Legislative Director, when meeting with him on the Hill last week, this would be such an overwhelming joy for him personally and for all of us at Hedgehog.  As a 15 year old technology company in Fairfax, VA, this issue hits so close to home for us and we have and will continue to support our client's right to privacy... EVERY TIME!

Thank you all for your continued support and please help us get our voices heard!

With much pride.

Richard Feller
@RichardFellerIV