Privacy Protection Updates Act

Key Points

• The bill creates an exclusionary rule that bars the government from using any journalist materials seized illegally. If law enforcement breaks the rules when searching for or taking a reporter's notes, files, or sources, none of that evidence can be used in any trial, hearing, or investigation at any level of government.
• Law enforcement must meet stricter warrant requirements before searching for news materials. Officers must disclose all facts that might cast doubt on the need for a search, and a judge must confirm that the search is consistent with the First Amendment's protection of a free press.
• The bill modernizes protections for the digital age by clarifying that journalists' files stored in the cloud are still legally theirs. Even if a reporter's emails or documents sit on a tech company's servers, the journalist is considered the person who possesses those materials and they receive the same protections.
• In emergencies where the government searches news records without a warrant, officers must submit an application to a judge within 48 hours. If the judge rules the search was not justified, the government must immediately return all seized materials and destroy any copies.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.