![]() The prescription for these ills is twofold:
Unfortunately, etiquette books can't eliminate human carelessness. So, just as the only 100% effective form of birth control is abstinence, you could prevent breaches of privacy by refusing to use email. For most of us, however, neither remedy holds much attraction. A fallback remedy is to follow your grandmother's advice: Never put anything in writing that you wouldn't mind seeing on the front page of the New York Times.
Of course, the rule of etiquette is the same for email as for old-fashioned letters: Never, ever snoop in another person's papers. Company policies on email content and privacyThe Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 makes it illegal to intercept electronic messages sent over public systems (for example, America Online or MCI Mail) without a search warrant. But the law doesn't address the privacy rights of employees whose email accounts are provided by their employers. Even in states like California, where citizens have a constitutional right to privacy, the rules aren't clear. That leaves the legal ball in the court of the company policy. Contents ... Index ... Netiquette Home |