Despite efforts to get it removed from the internet, Yahoo!'s 2006 "Law Enforcement Investigators Guide" details the various fees that government and police officers would need to pay in order to obtain information on a user -- like access to someone's email account, which would run them $30-$40 -- and how to go about requesting it. The guide also details what kind of information is kept on users through services like Yahoo! Groups, Chat, and Flickr, and how long such information is retained.

We suppose that with so many requests being made of them as a company to compromise our civil liberties, Yahoo! had to do something to offset the costs of complying with law enforcement requests. But really, Yahoo!? All it takes is 30 bucks and a kindly worded letter (and, presumably, a warrant) to break into my email? In the old days that would have at least required some sweet talk and maybe a little heavy petting in the file room.