Can someone confirm for me that the 4th Amendment even applies?

[JoePhilly]

33. As I understand it ... there is a distniction between the CONTENT and

the META DATA for the call or email.

So whatever you say in the call, or in the email, is protected and belongs to YOU. That is the content.

The data about the call, from where, duration (size), to where (the meta data) ... belongs to the company that routes it.

The company has their own reasons for maintaining that data. They use it to bill its customers. They use it to plan for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. In essence, that data is critical for how they manage their business. It is their data.

Now, if you write down who you call, when you call, and how long you talk, that piece of paper belongs to you.

Imagine sending a Christmas present through the mail. The government keeps the data on which location the package was sent from, the stops it makes along the way, and where it ends up, perhaps even who signs for it. That is their data. The present you put in the box, that belonged to you, and you gave it to the receiver. The end.

I remember years ago when the phone company sent you a bill and did not list all of the calls that you made. If you wanted the full list, you had to pay extra to get it.

Why?

Because its their data, it belongs to them, and they were sharing it with you, for a price.