Kim Zetter reports:
Since the Patriot Act broadly expanded the power of the government to issue National Security Letters demanding customer records, more than 200,000 have been issued to U.S. companies by the FBI. But the perpetual gag orders that accompany them are rarely challenged by the ISPs and other recipients served with such letters.
Just how rare these challenges are became more evident following the recent release of a 2010 letter from the Justice Department to a federal lawmaker.
Read more on Threat Level.