Washington, D.C. – On Monday, July 29, Senator Ron Johnson (WI) introduced an amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill to protect the privacy of online records and content from unreasonable government intrusion.  Under the Johnson amendment, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and related agencies of THUD will, in line with the constitutional right to be “secure in our persons, houses, papers and effects,” have to obtain a warrant before accessing a consumer’s online records and data.  The amendment updates a law written in 1986 that allows government access without due process after the internet records and content are 181 days old. Senator Johnson said:

“This amendment represents an important first step towards a more extensive effort to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.  This law was written in 1986 before the massive growth of the internet and smartphones that now impact the lives of essentially every American.  As Members of Congress, we must ensure that we properly protect every American’s communications from unreasonable government intrusion.”  

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