In the wake of the H.R. 1981, the “Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 (PCIPA), proposed May 25, 2011 by U.S. Representatives Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the head of the House Judiciary Committee, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the National Sheriffs' Association, a organization representing 3,000+ Sheriff's offices around the country, announced in testimony before Congress that it supports the PCIPA's provision to amend 18 U.S.C. 2703 to mandate that ISPs and provider of electronic communication services retain customer IP address records for at least 18 months after issuance.

The proposed PCIPA has raised eyebrows by providing a broad carveout for wireless carriers, and the additional data has been called a potential ripe target for hackers by privacy organizations in other testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. (See also, Bill to Curb Child Porn May Feed Hacking Frenzy, Critic Says, July 11, 2011).

The announcement and testimony by the National Sheriffs' Association, in connection with hearings held today by the House Committee on the Judiciary, mark the latest law enforcement agency and organization to join the call for additional IP data tracking and storage. The InfoLaw Group will continue to closely monitor developments on this bill. To discuss the PCIPA's potential ramifications on your data storage activities, feel free to contact me or any of the attorneys at the InfoLaw Group. We will be issuing alerts when further developments of interest are announced.