Google Tells Police to Get Warrants for EMails

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On Wednesday, Google announced that more than two thirds of user data Google forwards to government agencies across the US is handed over without a probable cause warrant.

Google spokesman, Chris Gaither, told sources that they demand government agencies to get a probable cause warrant for content on its email and other platforms. Despite the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) which allows the Government to search through customer data without a warrant if it is on Google's servers for more than 180 days.

"In order to compel us to produce content in Gmail we require an ECPA search warrant" Noted the Google Spokesman. "If they come for registration information, that's one thing, but if they ask for content of e-mail, that's another thing."

While not a lot of tech companies actually announce how many government requests they get, Google is one of the few email providers that is actually challenging law enforcement agencies to produce said warrants to access a user's email.

Google should be able to take some comfort in the fact that in 2010, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Fourth Amendment protecting unreasonable searches and seizures also protects email, even if it is over 180 days old, despite what ECPA says.



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Related Forum: PC General Forum

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"Google Tells Police to Get Warrants for EMails" :: Login/Create an Account :: 62 comments

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sw4gPosted:

I've always disliked Google,

With their data collection and information-sharing policy with Chrome, YouTube and their search engines I've refused to use them as frequent as I use to (unless I'm making a throwaway e-mail on a VPN) but with the current direction they're heading as a company? I respect them more now.


Great news to read.

ToesPosted:

Google is finally caring :)

neboPosted:

So all my emails have been read by some agent? wut?

SynybunPosted:

This makes me wonder about the others.

MoanPosted:

L33t-Ninja-Much google is awesome lol highfive google


High five to Google.

Glad they are doing this.

L33t-Ninja-MuchPosted:

google is awesome lol highfive google

Big-FootPosted:

We now see that google cares about us :)

3OH3Posted:

SovietRussia I don't see how the government could look into any personal accounts. Without notifying the user ahead of time.

They already do. When you sign up theres usually something in the TOS that tell you that they can be looked at and whatnot. Fun fact, The NSA has trillions of files from people of the US. Of course it's all for "national security" and whatnot so your stuff probably isn't being looked at under a microscope like some people think but it's possible they already have stuff of yours without consent or warrents. Also, there's a thing for Europe, the US, and Canada called Lawful Intercept (LI) where law enforcement can intercept your stuff and look at it/make a copy of it and put it on file and everything, sometimes with warrents or anything. And almost every program has LI capabilities. Skype for example has a built in backdoor specifically for this to make it easier for them to get your stuff.
Don't think in crazy, paranoid, or a conspiracist, this is actually happening and you can look it all up if you want to. I've read a lot about it in my text books and online and it's some interesting stuff.
Because of all of this, it's really nice to see some companies standing up for us and protecting us.

PoliwrathPosted:

:) I like google for this reason :)

WTAFPosted:

Well done Google :) feels good to know you actually care.


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