Cohen, who represented the company targeted on MoneySavingExpert, says more people are realizing that while online trolls can argue for the human right to privacy and (in Britain) call on the Data Protection Act to protect their identities, plaintiffs can call on the High Court to unmask them.
But the big act came on Thursday when the Obama administration released its Consumer DataPrivacy in a Networked World report (PDF) that includes a proposed Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights that the administration plans to send to Congress.
The Electronic Communications PrivacyAct (ECPA) strictly prohibits the interception of content and traffic data and limits access to stored communications (such as emails).
Lobbying issues include cyber security, data retention, the reform of electronic privacy laws, and the controversial Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) which law enforcement would like updated to make it easier to wiretap the Internet.
Just this week, U.S. criticisms of proposed European data-privacy rules and plans to tax trades in financial instruments indicate the potential for future regulations to act as irritants in the relationship.
Enacted in 1986 as part of the Electronic Communications PrivacyAct, the SCA originally was intended to create additional protections for owners of electronic data given the increasing use of third party vendors for data storage and electronic communications services.