(Photo: Comcast)

What’s in your inbox? Some risque dirty talk? Maybe a handful of regretful messages about how hammered you were last night? If a law enforcement-backed proposal going before a House subcommittee today gets passed, wireless companies will be one step closer to having to store all of your text messages, sexy or not.

The bill is backed by law enforcement agencies, which argue that text messages can serve as key pieces of evidence in cases, particularly related to “domestic violence, stalking, menacing, drug trafficking, and weapons trafficking.” Cops want wireless companies to store your text messages so that they can have access to them in the event that any crime occurs. This is similar to a wireless provider recording phone calls and storing the audio files.

The House is working to update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and today’s hearing will focus on whether or not a bill like this one should be tacked on to the act. The Justice Department itself requested yesterday that any update to the ECPA allows the government access to Facebook messages and Twitter DMs.

How long before they’re subpoenaing Snapchats?

Jessica Roy is a reporter for Betabeat and the New York Observer. Follow Jessica on Twitter or via RSS. jroy@observer.com