Part of this push by law enforcement is likely due to the increasing recognition of courts regarding the privacy expectations of email. Until recently, for exa

Part of this push by law enforcement is likely due to the increasing recognition of courts regarding the privacy expectations of email. Until recently, for example, U.S. courts have considered a service provider a "third-party", thus certain privacy protections were not available. However, the increasing ubiquity of electronic messaging has caused courts to rethink their position. It is natural law enforcement agencies would want to "push back" to effectively maintain the level of access they've enjoyed previously.