Summary
The IRS doesn't believe it needs a search warrant to read your e-mail. This article announces that there was a new document prepared by IRS lawyers saying that Americans enjoy "generally no privacy" in their e-mail, Facebook chats, Twitter messages, and other online communications. Their document explains how our online information can be used without obtaining a search warrant signed by a judge. This causes a conflict among many judges and legislators who believe that Americans' e-mail messages should be protected from warrantless search and seizure. They believe online activity should be protected under the same Fourth Amendment privacy acts that require search warrants for someone's home. The IRS argues that "emails and other transmissions generally lose their reasonable expectation of privacy and thus their Fourth Amendment protection once they have been sent from an individual's computer." However, Nathan Wessler (a staff attorney at the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project) said in a blog post that the IRS's view of privacy rights violates the Fourth Amendment.
Reason for choosing this article
I chose this article because the title scared me and made me want to read more. The article has very important information in it that everyone should know because everyone should know their privacy rights.
Personal and Social Values at stake and ethical implications
Americans should have the same privacy in their online activity as they do with their physical belongings. I believe we have the right to our privacy online just as we do in our home. This claim does violate the Fourth Amendment and it is unethical for them to be able to go into our email without a signed search warrant. We own our emails just like we own our house, so the privacy laws should not be different.
Credibility of its sources
Daniel McCullagh is the chief political correspondent for CNET. His sources are credible because they comes straight from the IRS, the Constitution, and U.S. attorneys/lawyers.
The IRS doesn't believe it needs a search warrant to read your e-mail. This article announces that there was a new document prepared by IRS lawyers saying that Americans enjoy "generally no privacy" in their e-mail, Facebook chats, Twitter messages, and other online communications. Their document explains how our online information can be used without obtaining a search warrant signed by a judge. This causes a conflict among many judges and legislators who believe that Americans' e-mail messages should be protected from warrantless search and seizure. They believe online activity should be protected under the same Fourth Amendment privacy acts that require search warrants for someone's home. The IRS argues that "emails and other transmissions generally lose their reasonable expectation of privacy and thus their Fourth Amendment protection once they have been sent from an individual's computer." However, Nathan Wessler (a staff attorney at the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project) said in a blog post that the IRS's view of privacy rights violates the Fourth Amendment.
Reason for choosing this article
I chose this article because the title scared me and made me want to read more. The article has very important information in it that everyone should know because everyone should know their privacy rights.
Personal and Social Values at stake and ethical implications
Americans should have the same privacy in their online activity as they do with their physical belongings. I believe we have the right to our privacy online just as we do in our home. This claim does violate the Fourth Amendment and it is unethical for them to be able to go into our email without a signed search warrant. We own our emails just like we own our house, so the privacy laws should not be different.
Credibility of its sources
Daniel McCullagh is the chief political correspondent for CNET. His sources are credible because they comes straight from the IRS, the Constitution, and U.S. attorneys/lawyers.