Google, search warrants, and National Security Letters

Google, search warrants, and National Security Letters

Posted Feb 2, 2013 22:45 UTC (Sat) by giraffedata (subscriber, #1954)
In reply to: Security quotes of the week by raven667
Parent article: Security quotes of the week

How did the FBI get access to Petraeus Gmail account without a criminal investigation or warrant?

That's a good point. In fact, I recall now that a government employee can be considered a security risk just because he is in debt (because it makes him more susceptible than the average employee to bribes and extortion). So I agree - a national security matter doesn't have to be a criminal matter and an NSL could be used in a non-criminal investigation.

From what I've read, I believe Google would not comply with an NSL demanding user information. Google's position is based on the U.S. Constitution, which takes precedence over the act of Congress that created NSLs.

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