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Essay about The Privacy of E-Mail

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The Privacy of E-Mail

Today the Internet is being used more and more frequently, and the question of e-mail privacy is becoming more and more of an issue in society. Many people today, both at work and at home, are using e-mail to keep in touch with their friends, family, and their co-workers. Sometimes the information that is contained in these messages is private and confidential, neither the sender nor the receiver wish any one else to be privy to what is contained in these messages. What happens if that very private piece of mail is intercepted and read by those whom it is not meant for? For some people it might only be a slight problem, but for others it could cause some serious problems. It also brings up the issue of who …show more content…

It would be very difficult to prove that someone intercepted a message that was not meant for them and read it. Another problem that comes with this act is that it does not protect the person from having their e-mail read by an "inside source". An inside source would include, their boss or another member of the company that they are working for, so someone in that position could reasonably read their e-mail without having to worry about reprimands form the company. Courts have ruled that e-mail sent via an office system is only private if the sender has a "reasonable expectation" of privacy when they send it. Again this can be pretty vague about what a persons "reasonable expectation" of privacy for their e-mail means. What "reasonable expectation" means for one person may be very different for another, creating quite a problem in the company about what "reasonable expectation" is. Many companies now have policies for their employee e-mail that states that it is not a good idea for a person to send private e-mail through the companies system. It is also a know fact that if the company owns the system that the e-mail is being sent through then they have the right to inspect and to read what is being sent. If a person wishes to avoid prying eyes they might wish to have an old fashioned face to face conversation when discussing something that is private.

Some people today are

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