In what may seem to be a case of déjà vu for the tech industry and, in particular, email service providers, Google has now found itself on the receiving end of an FBI search warrant which orders the company to turn over emails stored on servers outside the United States. The order was made under the Stored Communications Act in relation to an FBI investigation into domestic fraud.
Microsoft has fought a long battle with the US Government which started back in early 2014 after a district court ordered the Redmond giant to hand over emails and personal data held in Ireland relating to a US-based customer. Despite an initial setback with a court ruling which upheld the original order , the company managed to win on appeal with the decision later reinforced after a tied vote of 4-4 by the US Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit last month.
