> In other words, if a search warrant would be required to enter a house, unless invited, why would this not apply to online data stored somewhere?
The government has long considered the 4th amendment to be a major hindrance. The only reason that they even seek a warrant to search your home or belongings is because the 4th amendment explicitly says
> The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated
I don't know the legal justification for excluding things like email metadata, but I imagine it goes like this:
> Your emails are not in your house, on your person, or are papers or effects. They are numbers stored in someone else's computer, and we only need the consent of someone else to get that information, which they will provide because they don't want to get on our bad side.
But the realistic reasoning is: the 4th amendment is a pain in the ass to law enforcement and they'd much rather it was never written at all, so they will cast whatever legal incantations are required to put a wall between your rights and your data
The government has long considered the 4th amendment to be a major hindrance. The only reason that they even seek a warrant to search your home or belongings is because the 4th amendment explicitly says
> The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated
I don't know the legal justification for excluding things like email metadata, but I imagine it goes like this:
> Your emails are not in your house, on your person, or are papers or effects. They are numbers stored in someone else's computer, and we only need the consent of someone else to get that information, which they will provide because they don't want to get on our bad side.
But the realistic reasoning is: the 4th amendment is a pain in the ass to law enforcement and they'd much rather it was never written at all, so they will cast whatever legal incantations are required to put a wall between your rights and your data