I'd
say that the best answer is to lean on the "postcard analogy" what was posted
here recently.
That
is, e-mail is like a postcard in postal mail. Anyone can read the message. Don't
put anything into messages that you wouldn't want someone else to see. The only
way around that is to write the messages in code (that is, encrypt the messages)
- which requires cooperation between the sender and the
recipient.
As a
practical matter, e-mail admins need access to the messages in order to manage
the system and to "keep harmful objects out of the mail", as the posters in the
post office say. For postal mail, there is the postal inspection service, which
is allowed to look at mail. An e-mail admin is performing the same service
(scanning for viruses and spam, for instance), and for that reason you need to
be able to look at mail. (That's especially true if some unknown virus is taking
your network down!)
As a
practical matter, admins have better things to do than read someone's e-mail.
It's only done when it needs to be to insure the integrity of the system. (And
the password is irrelevant. E-Mail Admins don't have access to people's
passwords - and don't need it to read the mail anyway.) But there isn't any
'legal' way to say that, so most systems fall back on the "we can read anything"
contract language.
Randy.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Woodie Sayles
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 11:05 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Privacy issue with customerI've recently had a customer ask how they can keep their email private if I, as Admin, know their password. Since IMS doesn't have web-based setup, have any of you had the same question asked of you? If so, what's the best way to answer?Woodie Sayles
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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