Tag Archives: National Journal

Protection of online privacy moves forward in bipartisan vote!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by | 1 Comment

The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) took an important bipartisan vote today to reform the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) and strengthen the privacy protection of emails and documents stored online in the “cloud.” Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chair of the SJC, spearheaded an amendment to the existing law to require that the government seek warrants before law enforcement, or other federal regulatory bodies, may obtain personal online records from Internet service providers and third party providers. The current ECPA law allows investigators access to emails and other private online information through third parties without judicial approval.

ALA’s commitment to privacy grows out of the library community’s deep principles to protect library users’ reading and online records, unless there is judicial approval and probable cause. In the weeks leading up to today’s markup, the American Library Association (ALA) worked with allies including the Digital Due Process Coalition and the Vanishing Rights Coalition, to advocate for necessary ECPA reforms.  Since ECPA was passed in 1986, several changes in technology have occurred, such as the increasingly popular use of cloud technologies and third party storage services.

With only three weeks left in the current Congress, several steps need to be taken before the bill is completely amended. The bill will now go to the Senate for a floor vote. Additional steps require action in the House and signing by President Obama.  But the markup is a major step forward for the SJC to approve these reform provisions, even if the issue moves to the next Congress.

This current ECPA reauthorization is actually part of H.R. 2471, a reauthorization of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), also passed in the 1980’s.  The House bill started only as an update of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA.) The Committee passed an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) requiring customers to opt-in to any video sharing agreement, and that any advanced consent to share video viewing information must be renewed after two years – another good step to protect privacy of personal records.

“The American Library Association thanks Senators Leahy, Feinstein, Franken, Cornyn, Lee and others who recognize the importance of protecting personal information in online activities (ECPA) and pushing reforms for consumers’ video-viewing records,” said Lynne Bradley, director of ALA’s Office of Government Relations. “We are ready to work with these champions and others to move these reforms forward in the coming weeks and months.”

Senator Leahy’s statement is now available online.

For more information, visit:

About Lynne Bradley

Lynne works in the ALA Washington Office and is director of ALA's Office of Government Relations.

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Posted in Intellectual Freedom, Library Advocacy, OGR, Public Libraries, School Libraries

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Why All Librarians Should be Vocal Advocates

Posted on July 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Nancy Pelosi

Photo by Talk Radio News Service

Today, I had the opportunity to attend “Women 2020: How Women Are Reshaping the Economy, Politics and the World,” an event hosted by the National Journal magazine focused on bringing influential women in Washington together to discuss the evolving role of women in the economy, policy and politics.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi headlined the event, and several women leaders spoke at the event, including Anu Bhagwati from the Service Women’s Action Network, Margaret Ann Hamburg from the Food and Drug Administration, and Rand Construction CEO Linda Rabbitt.

At one point during the event, Pelosi told the audience about the weekly Tuesday dinners that she would have with several Democratic Members of Congress, including Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Barbara Kennelly. At these dinners, they would meet to talk about different issues (with the men at the table dominating the conversation), she said. On one particular evening, all of the men discussed the days that their children were born. Pelosi mentioned that at no point during the conversation did the men at the table ask the women—who had given birth to ten children between them—about their personal experiences giving birth.

While Pelosi shared the story to encourage women in the audience to speak up for themselves and to share their own experiences without being prompted, I found that the core message of her advice should be known by all librarians: Don’t wait to be empowered, don’t wait for someone to ask you about your own experiences. We need to speak up when policymakers discuss issues that we know and care about, be it education, literacy or technology.

In her interview with the District Dispatch, school library veteran Sara Kelly Johns said that all librarians should have their own elevator speeches, saying, “Every librarian needs a message—it needs to be on the tip of your tongue, and it needs to be deliberate and continuous.” I am encouraging all librarians to empower themselves today by speaking up for libraries when opportunities arise and being prepared at all times to promote their passion.

Emily Sheketoff
Executive Director, ALA Washington Office

About Emily Sheketoff

Emily Sheketoff is the Executive Director of the American Library Association's Washington Office.

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Posted in Library Advocacy, Telecommunications

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