WASHINGTON – The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the global voice for the tech sector, issued the following statement from President and CEO Dean Garfield after the House of Representatives voted to pass the Judicial Redress Act (H.R. 1428). Last week, ITI led a multi-company, multi-group, industry coalition letter calling on lawmakers to pass the bipartisan legislation, citing its importance to rebuilding the essential element of public trust, not only in the technology sector, but also in the U.S. government, in the wake of the Snowden revelations.

“Many allied countries have already extended similar protections to U.S. citizens,” Garfield said. “Congress’ quick action to pass the Judicial Redress Act is an important step, not just for formally concluding the Data Privacy and Protection Agreement—often called the ‘umbrella agreement’—but also to demonstrate that the United States appropriately respects the privacy of user information. We are thankful to the members of the House for taking bipartisan action to quickly approve the bill, and we encourage the Senate to take action to pass the Judicial Redress Act.”

The Judicial Redress Act extends key privacy protections enjoyed by Americans to citizens of certain allied countries to seek access to their records when shared as part of a criminal investigation, amend the records when they are erroneous, or seek redress when their records are unlawfully disclosed. ITI has identified the measure as a key legislative priority for the tech sector.

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