Business, Tech Coalition, Including CCIA, CTA, TIA, Urges Passage of ICPA Bills

A group of business and technology associations is urging House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders to pass legislation that would clarify how law enforcement officials would gain access to U.S. citizens' electronic communications regardless of that person's location or where that individual's personal data is located (see 1605250050). The associations sent a letter Thursday to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Pat Leahy, D-Vt., and House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and ranking member John Conyers, D-Mich., urging them to pass both versions of the International Communications Privacy Act. The coalition said cloud services are lowering IT costs, improving services and creating jobs, but "American companies face uncertainty in the U.S. legal process ... when a company can be compelled to give up data stored by a foreign national." It said DOJ's actions in court could force U.S. companies to provide data to law enforcement agencies that didn't go through the mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) process or other appropriate international agreements, putting the companies "at a significant competitive disadvantage" in the international economy. "ICPA reinforces that U.S. law enforcement must attain a warrant for any electronic content for U.S. persons, settles uncertainty around obtaining such information for foreign nationals, and augments international rule of law by improving the MLAT process," the coalition said. Signatories to the letter are the ACT|The App Association, BSA|The Software Alliance, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Computing Technology Industry Association, CTA, Internet Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Software & Information Industry Association, TechNet, Telecommunications Industry Association and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.