secrecy of letters

The secrecy of correspondence  or literally translated as secrecy of letters, is a basic legal principle enshrined in the constitutions of several European countries. It guarantees that the content of sealed letters is never revealed, and letters in transit are not opened by government officials, or any other third party. It is the main legal basis for the assumption of privacy of correspondence.The principle has been naturally extended to other forms of communication, including telephony and electronic communications on the Internet, as the constitutional guarantees are generally thought to also cover these forms of communication