The two primary federal laws related to tracking Internet crime are the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Privacy Protection Act (PPA). The ECPA was adopted as an update to the Federal Wiretap Act of 1968, which dealt with wiretapping only, and did not consider the interception of computer and other digital and electronic messages. This law prohibits anyone from knowingly intercepting or attempting to intercept wire, oral or electronic communications using any electronic, mechanical, or other devices.
It is noteworthy that eavesdropping without any electronic device is not illegal under the ECPA. Knetzger and Muraski affirm that there are some exceptions to this law, for example, if the interception is permitted by law for law enforcement purposes or if at least one of the parties has agreed. In this way, ECPA protects wired, oral and electronic communications during transmission, transmission, and storage on computers.
In turn, the PPA refers to the issue of the seizure of materials by the government. This statute arose because, during the takeover of evidence, many materials that were not evidence and were not directly related to specific criminal investigations were seized by state authorities. Thus, the PPA partially prohibits the seizure and storage of materials that are not directly related to the crime being investigated.