Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.comÂ
The Justice Department has abandoned it’s long-standing opposition to requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before gaining access to certain e-mails, the Washington Post reports.
The department had objected to law enforcement accessing e-mails that are 180 days old or less if they had been unopened, the Post reported.
“There is no principled basis” to treat e-mails differently based on age, said Elana Tyrangiel, acting assistant attorney general in the department’s Office of Legal Policy, said Tuesday while testifying before a House Judiciary Committee.
Tyrangiel also said opened and unopened mail should be treated no differently.
Currently law enforcement may obtain older or opened e-mails with just a subpoena, the Post reported.
