No Warrant Needed to Read Your Private Messages
The Internal
Revenue Service doesn’t think it needs a warrant to read your emails or other electronic
communications. That’s according to internal IRS documents obtained
by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and released in April.
According to an IRS handbook obtained
under the Freedom of Information Act, the Fourth Amendment doesn’t cover emails
because Internet users “do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such
communications.”
“The IRS is not alone in
taking advantage of a huge loophole,” says the ACLU.
Under the
Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), law enforcement does not need a
warrant to read emails and other electronic communications that are stored on a
server for more than 180 days or that have been opened by the recipient.
However, representatives in both chambers are currently working
on legislation to update the law. For more information visit here
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