E-Mailing Your Biggest Secret!
E-mail often seems like an informal conversation among friends. It is most definitely NOT! Don’t put your biggest secret (or fear) in writing in an e-mail, even to your best friend or favorite relative because:
* Messages sent to large or public distribution lists are often very widely distributed and may end up being archived on a Website where they can be pulled into search engine databases and found later.
* A majority of large employers routinely retain and scan all e-mail in the company’s e-mail system, looking for information and security leaks.
* Employers also monitor Internet and Web usage, so using a Web-based e-mail system (like Yahoo or Hotmail, etc.) isn’t protection against snooping.
* Messages get forwarded, and you have no control, or knowledge, of where they may go after you hit that “Send” button.
* Messages are stored - by the e-mail software (checked your Sent Mail folder lately?) and, often, by the e-mail systems and Internet e-mail infrastructure as part of routine backups. Some organizations and systems archive messages for several years.
In the U.S., federal law supports an employer’s right to view employee e-mail, particularly in financial services organizations where sharing information is very closely regulated. Your employer should have an e-mail and Internet “acceptable use” policy published, but, even if they don’t have a policy, don’t assume that you have any privacy. It is always safest to assume that someone else is viewing all of your Internet activities and e-mail messages at work.
Source: job-hunt.org