Little Brother is Watching, Too: NSA Spying Has Nothing on Local Police Matthew Fleischer - TakePart
go to original September 26, 2013

Wonder who gets their emails spied on more often: this man using China's censored Internet in downtown Shanghai or you. American law enforcement agencies are allowed access to any emails over 180 days old without a warrant. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Whistleblower Edward Snowden made huge news earlier this year when he turned over evidence to the media of widespread spying on the communications of the American public by the National Security Agency. But what if the government doesn’t need high-tech gadgets and secrets to read your electronic communications? What if all they need is a friendly letter to your Internet or email service provider, requesting full access to your email records?

Sound impossible? Well, as it turns out, that’s exactly what’s happening.

The 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act allows domestic law enforcement agencies - everyone from the Federal Bureau of Investigations to your local Keystone Cops - to contact email hosts and, without a warrant, demand they turn over the full contents of all emails over 180 days old.

That’s right: Not only is the NSA possibly spying on you, but Barney Fife may just have his nose in your personal emails too.

Read the rest at TakePart

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