Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

November 22, 2008 7:30:21 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Court Limits Bosses' Access to Staff Emails

Posted Jun 19, 08 2:10 AM CDT in Technology,  Crime & Courts,  Business 

(Newser) – A federal court has ruled that emails and text messages on work accounts—routinely monitored by some employers—are protected by constitutional safeguards against unreasonable search and seizure. The ruling only applies to electronic communications supplied through outside servers, not internal systems. The ruling forbids service providers from handing over records to employers, and requires police to obtain search warrants to access messages, reports the Los Angeles Times.

It was the first federal appellate decision to provide 4th Amendment protection to electronic messages. A cyberspace civil liberties organization hailed the ruling as a "tremendous victory for online privacy" that affords many of the same protections to electronic communication that currently safeguard letters and packages.

Source Los Angeles Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon
A ruling by a US Court of Appeals will make it harder for employers to routinely read workers' e-mails and text messages.   (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Kevin Bankston attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, devoted to protecting privacy rights on the Internet. The group hails a ruling protecting e-mails and text messages as a landmark.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Clark Kent glasses   ((c) Andrew*)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

text message • e-mails • search warrant • Electronic Frontier Foundation • corporate monitoring


Loading...

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Business Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »