The United States House of Representatives unanimously passed an updated email privacy bill on Wednesday that would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before requesting technology companies to hand over emails that are more than 180 days old, which is roughly equivalent to six months.
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act -- passed in 1986 -- only requires that law enforcement obtain a subpoena.
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Back then, email users often downloaded their messages, and email servers didn't usually keep back-up copies. This led Congress to consider emails older than 180 days to be abandoned property.
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The House urged the Senate to quickly consider the bill, though it's unclear whether the senator in control of the legislation -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley -- intends to do so, according to Reuters.
Though more than 25 senators have supported similar bills in the past, Grassley's office told Reuters they are still figuring out what path to take.
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