Electronic Communications Privacy Act : Overview & Issues for Consideration

The statutory framework for the communications sector largely was enacted prior to the commercial development and deployment of digital technology, Internet Protocol (IP), broadband networks, and online voice, data, and video services. These new technologies have driven changes in market structure throughout the communications sector. In a technologically dynamic sector, the statutory framework cannot be modified every time there is a significant technological change. The challenge therefore is to create statutory language that is flexible enough to continue to foster articulated public policy objectives in the face of technological change, without artificially favouring either legacy technology or new technology. This book focuses on updating the statutory framework for communications for the digital age. The authors also provide statements and testimonies from hearings on lawful access to stored content, and geolocation privacy surveillance.