Do the police need judicial approval to read your e-mails? Should the police need judicial approval to sift through personal e-mails? The answer to the first is no. The answer to the second one is undecided for now.
Privacy advocates screaming yes to both questions. It seems that lawmakers on Capitol Hill will agree.
While law enforcement officials need a judge’s approval before they can confiscate regular snail mail, it is not the case with electronic mail.
Just check out the news reports regarding former CIA Director David Petraeus and Marine Corps General John Allen. A lone FBI agent legally probed their e-mails, uncovering Petraeus’ extramarital affair.
It is looking probable that Congress may need to amend a nearly 20-year-old law governing Web privacy. This is to provide more protection for e-mail and other data that’s stored in the cloud.
There will be a battle over this issue; opposition will come from security agencies, which want fast and unbridled access to the cloud to stop cyber- and other terrorists.
So if you see someone sitting at your desk reading your personal or business e-mail accounts, remember they are not breaking any laws.