Court: E-mail providers can read messages

[KD5DBL]

Yikes!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5336185/

Cliff Notes: Loophole in Wiretapping law allows company to make copies and read e-mails. Upheld by 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

:soap

So basically, ISP's could use this to read all our e-mail just because the stored information resides on their servers. This is truly frightning...

 

[Schweddy]

According to his 2001 indictment, Councilman directed employees to write computer code to intercept and copy all incoming e-mails from Amazon.com to Interloc’s subscribers, who were dealers seeking buyers for rare and out-of-print books. Amazon.com did not then offer used books, but offered customers help in tracking down rare books.

The government alleged that Interloc tried to exploit the Amazon e-mails “to develop a list of books, learn about competitors and attain a commercial advantage.”

But Councilman argued that no violation of the Wiretap Act had occurred because the e-mails were copied while in “electronic storage” — the messages were in the process of being routed through a network of servers to recipients.

The wiretapping law broadly protects eavesdropping on messages that are not stored — such as an unrecorded phone conversation — but does not afford the same legal protections to stored messages. The 1968 law was amended in 1986 to address emerging computer technologies.

OMG!!

Google is going to have a field day with Gmail.

 

[Schweddy]

So let me get this right.

The providers are not liable for what you do - but have privilege to eavesdrop on your surfing, emailing, and instant messages cause it resides on their servers!!? They could dangle a illegal carrot and if you grabbed it - slam.

These judges have not a flippin clue!

 

[CSA_TX]

EMAIL IS OVERATED :agree

 

[The Liberal Puke]

Did anybody say " D O U B L E - S T A N D A R D "

 

[KD5DBL]

Did anybody say " D O U B L E - S T A N D A R D "

OK... you've been yelling about double standards in several threads... care to explain in this case?

 

[The Liberal Puke]

By double standard I meant that the ruling came and ignored the privacy act just like the Patriot act did. I don't want to be redundant here but a group of guys getting paid by a certain industry, will try and pass all kinds of laws to protect that industry even if those laws contradict previously passed laws.

 

[Schweddy]

This has NOTHING to do with the patriot act. Did you even read the post?

This has to do with ignorant Judges saying that if email bounces off your computer/server (ISP) it is considered YOUR property. You can manipulate and parse info from it for your benifit before sending it on.