AG Holder backs warrant requirement for most e-mail searches

Attorney General Eric Holder said that the Justice Department will likely support legislation requiring law enforcement officers to obtain a warrant before accessing private online messages, such as e-mails or Facebook messages.

"It is something that I think the Department will support," AG Holder said in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. He urged Congress to exempt "certain very limited circumstances" such as civil investigations. "But the more general notion of having a warrant to obtain the content of communications from a service provider is something that we support," AG Holder said.