Google today became the first Internet company to shed light on a highly secret — and controversial — warrantless electronic data-gathering technique used by the FBI.
The technique allows FBI officials to send a secret request to Web and telecommunications companies requesting “name, address, length of service,” and other information about users as long as it’s relevant to a national security investigation. No court approval is necessary, and disclosing the existence of the FBI’s request is not permitted.
Google’s admission, part of its transparency policy, could not include specific details, but they did say this much.