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Wikileaks writes Google a letter about staff emails handed over to the FBI

It took Google three years to inform Wikileaks of the information they handed over.

By Thor Benson

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Wikileaks' lawyer, Michael Ratner, has sent Google a letter asking what information was provided to the FBI concerning Wikileaks staff members.

A secret search warrant was sent to Google in March of 2012 from the FBI for information about three Wikileaks employees, but the company only informed Wikileaks last month. Now, Wikileaks wants to know what was provided at that time and if it has received any more requests since the original case. Google claims the FBI requested email content, metadata and more.

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"We are astonished and disturbed that Google waited over two and a half years to notify its subscribers that a search warrant was issued for their records," the letter reads.

Google has so far informed Wikileaks that the information that was requested had to do with investigations editor of WikiLeaks, Sarah Harrison, their spokesperson, Kristinn Hrafnsson and senior editor Joseph Farrell.

Google claims it did not inform Wikileaks because of a gag order.

"Neither Google nor the US government are living up to their own laws or rhetoric in privacy or press protections," Sarah Harrison told The Guardian.

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