Privacy: Google says officials asked it for user data 8,500 times in last half of 2012; 68% of requests (covering 15,000 users) lacked a search warrant

Politico reports that almost 70% percent of U.S. law enforcement requests for access to email and other data from Google in the past six months occurred without a warrant, according to the company's blog. (Note: "Government requests for user data from the United States include those issued by U.S. authorities for U.S. investigations as well as requests made on behalf of other governments pursuant to mutual legal assistance treaties and other diplomatic mechanisms.")
     Evidently the company doesn't roll over for every request; Google said it complied partially or fully 88% of the time.

Robotic tape library at Google Iowa data center. Photo by Connie Zhou.

...The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a 1986 law that privacy advocates have eyed for years for reform, ...requires no warrants for access to data more than 180 days old. The issue is quickly emerging as a congressional legislative privacy priority in 2013, as chairmen of both Hill Judiciary Committees have pledged to take a close look at overhauling the law to prevent government access to old emails without a warrant.