Covington's Wimmer Urges Overhaul of Electronic Privacy Legislation

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Mar 20, 2015, 06:25 ET

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Covington's Kurt Wimmer urges overhauling the 1980s-era privacy law to address the growing popularity of cloud computing in a new issue paper published today by the Media Institute. Stronger safeguards for information stored remotely "in the cloud" would allow media companies to take better advantage of this innovative technology, Wimmer writes.

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In the paper, Wimmer points out that the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 did not contemplate the rise of off-site data storage. Now, for example, outdated provisions in that legislation give government agencies relatively easy access to reporters' emails and other sensitive information stored in the cloud longer than six months.

This vulnerability has left many media organizations reluctant to adopt cloud computing, which offers a broad range of advantages including more efficient movement of information across platforms and significant cost savings.

Wimmer notes that legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House and Senate, the "LEADS Act," would remedy the shortcomings of ECPA and provide the common-sense safeguards needed by news operations to maintain the trust of confidential sources.

Kurt Wimmer, chair of the firm's privacy and data security practice, is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Media Institute and chairs its First Amendment Advisory Council.

If you are interested in interviewing Mr. Wimmer, please email [email protected].

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SOURCE Covington & Burling LLP