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Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

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Re: Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

#2
I wish we would treat cyberspace analogues of established property with the same respect given to the original. For example, your e-mail inbox is the online equivalent of your mailbox. Yet, one being "on your lawn" and the other "at Google's data-center," all bets are off. While I believe the Supreme Court should do better job at explicitly addressing this (for instance, "responsible expectation of privacy" established Katz[1] would be a fair test for e-mail, while Jones[2] and Kyllo[3] show the importance of taking modern technology into account), the government needs to firmly establish which techniques are important for security while protecting us from those which recklessly violate privacy.

[1] http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0389...

[2] http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/10-1259

[3] http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-8508.ZS.html

Re: Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

#3
post #2

I wish we would treat cyberspace analogues of established property with the same respect given to the original. For example, your e-mail inbox is the online equivalent of your mailbox. Yet, one being "on your lawn" and the other "at Google's data-center," all bets are off. While I believe the Supreme Court should do better job at explicitly addressing this (for instance, "responsible expectation of privacy" establish…

There is nothing about monitoring our email that is necessary for security. The war on terror is a giant hoax, more people are killed every year choking on peanut butter. Members of the government are always reaching for more and more control over our lives and power to watch us.

Re: Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

#5
post #2

I wish we would treat cyberspace analogues of established property with the same respect given to the original. For example, your e-mail inbox is the online equivalent of your mailbox. Yet, one being "on your lawn" and the other "at Google's data-center," all bets are off. While I believe the Supreme Court should do better job at explicitly addressing this (for instance, "responsible expectation of privacy" establish…

I find it interesting that the treatment of the digital analogue in legislation is contradictory. While it's beneficial to the government and businesses to remove the distinction between digital and physical when it comes to IP and copyright, it's just as beneficial to maintain that distinction for 'security' or 'anti-terrorism'.

'Modern' legislation doesn't feel all that progressive when it comes to technology.

Re: Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

#6
post #2

I wish we would treat cyberspace analogues of established property with the same respect given to the original. For example, your e-mail inbox is the online equivalent of your mailbox. Yet, one being "on your lawn" and the other "at Google's data-center," all bets are off. While I believe the Supreme Court should do better job at explicitly addressing this (for instance, "responsible expectation of privacy" establish…

So the rights with respect to your mailbox derive from the fact that the Post Office was historically an appendage of the government. Giving your personal information to a government-run Post Office versus giving it to a third party like Google (that mines your personal information for advertisements!) is a salient distinction.

Re: Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

#7
post #4

whelp, that passing will end my use of free text email.

This is an article about an amendment proposed to a law that's already on the books. The 180 days thing is already the law of the land, this amendment sought to change that. There's now nothing in this bill relating to mail privacy (i.e. the existing law isn't being changed at all).

So, if that's the way you feel about it, the time to stop using free text email was 1986, when ECPA was first passed.

Re: Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email

#10
post #9

If you don't host your own mail server, you are a clown-person. Joe 6 pack has an excuse, but nobody here does.

How can I, as a somewhat proficient non-techie, accomplish that without having to dedicate a 24/7 *nix box from home?

Please, if anyone knows a simple, yet elegant solution, I'm all ears.

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