Reaction Of Sen. Patrick Leahy
To The 1st Circuit’s Reversal
Of The Earlier Councilman
Decision
On Online Privacy
Friday, August 12, 2005
[Following is the reaction of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt., ranking
member, Senate Judiciary Committee) to the First Circuit Court of
Appeals decision Thursday in the Councilman case. In an en
banc decision, the court reversed the earlier three-member panel
decision in the case. Leahy, the author of the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), had urged this reversal in an
amicus curiae brief that he filed with the court.]
"I
welcome the First Circuit’s reversal of a decision that would have
seriously undermined Americans’ email privacy by thwarting the
protections of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).
This is a significant victory for online privacy. Congress passed
ECPA to respond to technological innovations and to ensure that
online communications would not be defenseless from prying eyes.
The recent debacles of breaches in personal electronic data remind
us how important it is to remain vigilant in protecting privacy and
security as technology advances.”
# # # #
#
