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Old 24 Dec 2018, 05:58 AM   #16
placebo
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 740
Quote:
Originally Posted by janusz View Post
How do you square privacy with a request from a law enforcement officer supported by a regulation paperwork?
The way it's supposed to work in the US is that the police go to a judge with their argument for why an individual's privacy needs to be invaded, and the judge decides whether the argument presented is legally valid and compelling enough to grant a limited warrant. The general idea is that the state's use of power should be very limited to minimize violating its citizens' rights. The government rooting through your private correspondence should be the exception, not the norm.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry View Post
If you use gmail or facebook then you have no privacy.
Google and Facebook have gotten their fair share of criticism, and at least with gmail and Facebook, you have a choice whether to use them or not. You don't have a choice when the government decides it wants to go looking through your email.

Quote:
As I pointed out the only access your data if a crime has been committed.
In a perfect world perhaps. In the real world, laws can have unintended consequences, people will make mistakes, and unscrupulous types will abuse power to punish their perceived enemies. It's generally wiser to take a cautious approach, granting limited powers to the state, than authorizing broad powers with a "I don't care because I don't have anything to hide" attitude.
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