IP Data Use By Law Enforcement
There are disturbing reports that law enforcement officials are requesting access to private emails, instant messages, voicemails and IP data at an increasing rate from digital media companies including Facebook, AOL and Sprint.
Research from Indiana University indicates that that these days, the police or FBI can obtain most of the data they need from the comfort and safety of their own desks, with a few mouse clicks, a fax, or a phone call to a telecommunications company or ISP. Many of these companies have even developed self-service websites exclusively for law enforcement agents to retrieve user data without any assistance. Digital data being requested by police include but is not limited to wiretaps and electronic communications intercepts, stored emails, instant messages, web browsing history and search engine records, as well as geo-location information from mobile phones, both historical and real time. Verizon alone said they receive over 90,000 requests a year from law enforcement alone.