What is the Electronics Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-474)?
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), enacted in 1986, amends title 18, United States Code (i.e., USC), with respect to provisions for the access, use, disclosure, interception and privacy protections of electronic, wire, or oral communications. The ECPA was designed to expand privacy protection to apply to radio paging devices, electronic mail, cellular telephones, private communication carriers, and computer transmissions. The Act also identified specific situations and types of transmissions that would not be protected, most notably an employer’s monitoring of employee electronic mail on the employer’s system. ECPA contains two Titles. Title I – Interception of Communications and Related Matters, updates existing laws to acknowledge and include in Title 18 of the USC new technologies such as computer communication. Title II – Stored Wire and Electronic Communications and Transactional Records Access adds a new chapter to Title 18 of the USC prohibiting unlawful access an
