Email safety guidelines
p2pnet.net News:- A recent US federal court dealt a "grave blow" to the idea that e-mail is private.
It wasn’t a criminal violation for an email service provider to monitor users’ incoming messages without their consent, the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.
And this in turn means ISPs, ASPs, outsourced data centers and other hosting services have full legal access to view corporate data, unless access is limited through contract terms, says the UK’s Gartner, going on:
"Other forms of digital communication that use hosting services, or a stored data component, pose the same risks as e-mail."
But, says the company, this doesn’t mean companies have to throw up their hands in defeat.
It suggests:
Companies must address data security, ownership and privacy through specific terms in contracts with ISPs and hosters.
Where electronic communication is hosted or transverses the Internet, consider encrypting sensitive communications.
Review ISP and hosting contracts to ensure contractual language protects the privacy of your data and communications.
ISPs and hosting companies should evaluate their e-mail privacy policies to ensure their service agreements cover the safety of sensitive material. They should be prepared to proactively communicate with customers that their information is safe.
Service providers must strengthen and routinely review internal privacy policies. Policies should be audited by a third party and should be available readily to customers.
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