[warrenwilkinson]

The author claims a right he doesn't have (a right to private correspondence). Something I've never seen mentioned anywhere before. I know most war time letters are censored, and I've never seen rights activists even mention (let alone protest) that.

Your ISP analyze packets, sometimes deeply. Google opens your mail to look for spam (does this violate the spammers right to private communication?). Norton opens your email attachments, and it might be mandated by your employer. A post office might scan or open suspicious packages to ensure they are safe for the receiver. These all involve 3rd parties analyzing and modifying messages.

[dexen]

As far as wikipedia can be trusted, there are explicit rigits to privacy & secrecy of correspondence [1] in western countries.

The examples you give fail flat out -- mechanical sorting & filtering of email, without any direct human intervention -- has no way of breaking privacy. No person learns anything private, and nobody will ever get pestered by the spam filters of google or other such.

Also, there's no crates of illegal drugs there being moved around. There is opaque electronic correspondence. Paper correspondence is by default secret, unless interceped by law enforcement officials under court order. No provisions out there for private parties for wildcard checks if their rights are infriged somehow by paper mail -- and you can be sure every now and then somebody slanders someone in paper mail. Rumors and whatnot.

The point of the article is, why are there blatant double standards when it comes to electronic correspondence?

EDIT: also note the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katz_v._United_States

In short, ``[[SCOTUS interpreted the Fourth Amendment]] to count [[also]] immaterial intrusion with technology as a search''.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secrecy_of_correspondence

[andos]

The International Declaration of Human Rights establishes secrecy of correspondence as a basic human right (article 12). It is echoed in the constitutions of many countries.

Shallow packet analysis is akin to reading the address of a letter in physical mail. It does not violate the secrecy of the message. When you sign up for an ISP or create a GMail account, you allow the company to inspect your correspondence and they assure you they will keep it secret under the terms of the law. The agreement is binding. You can sue if your communication is arbitrarily violated.

The content of packages might be subject to customs and taxation. Goods are not correspondence (from the p.o.v. of those laws).

Of course, laws are written taking good faith as a premise...