Avoiding Email Blunders Even After The Email is Sent

Abstract There is nothing like a major controversy flaunted on the news reels to give some spunk to a rather dry subject like email security. The biggest email blunder of 2001 was surely UK civil servant Jo Moore’s 1 to the UK Labour Party press office to “bury the bad news” about the UK rail industry in the light of the events of 11 September. She could have exerted control over the entire life of that fateful email — in transit, even after it had been received at the other end, but unfortunately she was not party to this knowledge. Then five months later, two UK newspapers — the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express receive an unsigned note, apparently from an official in the transport department, alleging that Ms Moore had again succumbed to taking unfair advantage of tragedy. This time with an email suggesting using Princess Margaret’s funeral to conceal the bad news about the UK rail industry. The evidence here, a copy of an email apparently sent by Mr Sixsmith, Moore’s boss, and copied to Mr Byers 2 , censuring Ms Moore for committing this sin yet again. But it transpires that the message had apparently been doctored to damage Ms Moore before it was sent to the newspapers. Again, some important email tracking technology could unveil the life cycle of the doctored email, like for example who read it, when they read it, and whether they printed, copied or forwarded it.