&gt; The principle at play here goes way back into common law, and was most famously articulated in the 1700s as &quot;the public is entitled to every man&#x27;s evidence&quot;.<p>One of the big drivers behind the American revolution was John Wilkes&#x27; diaries being seized by the government in 1763. This was done with a legal warrant, but it&#x27;s still the reason why we have the 4th amendment today. So the idea that we have a tradition of the government being able to seize whatever they want with a warrant isn&#x27;t entirely accurate.