Google Tells Feds to Obtain a Warrant to Access Gmail

American government agencies made over 8,400 requests for nearly 15,000 accounts.

Search engine giant Google has told U.S. government agencies to obtain a warrant should they wish to access Gmail user accounts.

American government agencies, which consists of federal, state and local authorities, made over 8,400 requests for nearly 15,000 accounts from July through to December 2012. 88 percent of those queries saw Google complying with a certain amount of the requests.

Google added that 22 percent of the aforementioned requests were made under search warrants delivered through the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).

"In order to compel us to produce content in Gmail we require an ECPA search warrant," said Google spokesperson Chris Gaither. "If they come for registration information, that's one thing, but if they ask for content of e-mail, that's another thing."

During the December of 2012, the U.S. government approved a bill that sees law enforcement not being able to search through email, private Facebook messages and other electronic forms of communication without a warrant.

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