Government Can Read Your Emails After 6 Months Without Warrant

Unbeknownst to most Americans, ambiguous language in a 1986 communications law extends Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure only to electronic communications sent or received fewer than 180 days ago, McClatchy DC reported.

The so-called “180-day rule” allows the government to treat any emails, text messages or documents stored on remote servers – popularly known as “the cloud” – as “abandoned” and therefore accessible using administrative subpoena power, a tactic that critics say circumvents due process, McClatchy DC reported.