As part of a criminal probe, a New York-based federal judge gave prosecutors full access to a Gmail user's entire email account.

Police have targeted an unnamed individual in a money laundering investigation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein authorized the warrant to be served on Google.

Gorenstein wrote in an opinion: "While an agent steeped in the investigation could recognize the significance of particular language in emails, an employee of the email host would be incapable of doing so."

In a drug investigation, for example, messages could discuss the purchase of "dolls" or "potatoes," both of which could refer to cocaine, but may seem innocuous to a corporate employee.

If the judicial order is upheld, Redmond worries it "would violate international laws and treaties, and reduce the privacy protection of everyone on the planet."