Legal Corner

Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA)
numpty88 14 Reviews 948 reads
posted

If you leave an email on a server more than 180 days, then US law enforcement can read it, in bulk, without a warrant.  If that same email is downloaded to your device (phone, computer, etc) and deleted from the server, then it requires a warrant to read it from your device.

Think of all the communication you've sent or received related to the hobby, and where they are now.  I looked today and realized there were some from several years ago that were left on a Gmail server, a text message account, or personal messages through TER.  After a bit of work they're now deleted from the Inbox, Sent, Draft, and Trash folders.

Recommend you review your own accounts and delete content from the server as well, after downloading them if you want to keep them.

Doing this can help prevent you being the low hanging fruit for law enforcement.

Posted By: numpty88
If you leave an email on a server more than 180 days, then US law enforcement can read it, in bulk, without a warrant.  If that same email is downloaded to your device (phone, computer, etc) and deleted from the server, then it requires a warrant to read it from your device.  
   
 Think of all the communication you've sent or received related to the hobby, and where they are now.  I looked today and realized there were some from several years ago that were left on a Gmail server, a text message account, or personal messages through TER.  After a bit of work they're now deleted from the Inbox, Sent, Draft, and Trash folders.  
   
 Recommend you review your own accounts and delete content from the server as well, after downloading them if you want to keep them.  
   
 Doing this can help prevent you being the low hanging fruit for law enforcement.

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