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October 19, 2003
This E-mail Will Self-Destruct...
Now here's a bad idea whose time has come.
The latest version of Microsoft's popular Office software will, the company claims, allow users to send e-mails that will "self-destruct" after a set time.
The development is designed to improve security - and avoid potentially embarrassing messages coming back to haunt senders.
Microsoft says users will also be able to restrict who is allowed to read an e-mail - and prevent recipients from forwarding messages to other users or printing them off.
Do you have any idea how much trouble you would get into, as a business, if you have to tell a judge you can't comply with the other side's discovery request because all your e-mails are set to self-destruct? No? Then I strongly suggest you consult your attorney.
One of the things a lecturer discussed at the legal seminar I attended Friday was the possible sanctions for document destruction. (Documents include e-mails, BTW) They include the jury being instructed that the destroyed document contain "damning information" regarding your company or self. This article also says that it is a Federal offense to destroy e-mail. I don't practice in the Federal area, so I don't know if that's true....but it wouldn't surprise me.
And now you can do this automatically?
Very. Bad. Idea.
Posted by Rita at October 19, 2003 05:22 PM
Comments
LotusNotes already does it with incoming mail. E-mails get wiped after 3 months. We also have a "Document Retention" policy that outlines how long specific types of documents may be kept. General correspondence, i.e. letters to customers and vendors, has a shelf life of only 6 months. Other documents, like those pertaining to governmental regulations, may have a retention period of up to 30 years.
I think it's only illegal to destroy documents AFTER they become the target of a lawsuit discovery action.
Posted by: Ralph Gizzip at October 19, 2003 05:43 PM
Like I said, I don't know about that. But I do know you will get into big trouble from a judge for destroying any document that you know or should reasonably know may be pertinent to a lawsuit. I don't think that means just destruction after the lawsuit is filed.
But I could be wrong. I frequently am.
Posted by: Rita at October 19, 2003 06:00 PM
General Electric (who I worked for in the past as an email admin,) has a strict email retention policy. When I was there in 1999, they issued an order that all email be deleted (and backup tapes wiped) after 30 days.
This policy was enacted just after the Microsoft trial started examining "interesting" email.
Posted by: Keith at October 19, 2003 09:39 PM
Hmmmmmm. I can see how this would be a dicey proposition for businesses, but as a private individual, I think it's pretty cool.
But then again, I always liked those moments in the old "Mission Impossible" series when the tapes would self destruct. Just on a conceptual basis, there was something cool about words that appear from nowhere then disappear.
D
Posted by: David Strain at October 20, 2003 05:21 AM
Keith, you & Ralph have made me curious. I'll have to research this some more. It seems to me it's always a bad idea for a business to destroy any potentially important documents, but I can see how it would be impractical to keep them around for very long. Even I am allowed to shred my files after 5 yrs. or so.
I know what you mean, David. I liked the feature about restricting whether or not your e-mail could be forwarded. That would be a good thing.
Posted by: Rita at October 20, 2003 05:52 AM
"I know what you mean, David. I liked the feature about restricting whether or not your e-mail could be forwarded. That would be a good thing."
LotusNotes has that feature, too. At least it works within the network it runs in. I'll have to try it between work and home to see if it works that way, too.
Posted by: Ralph Gizzip at October 20, 2003 05:58 PM
What is this "LotusNotes" of which you speak? Is it related to that old dinosaur I learned spreadsheets on, Lotus 1-2-3?
One of my young classmates was amazed to learn that WordPerfect used to be a DOS program. I think I scare her.
Heh.
Posted by: Rita at October 20, 2003 06:05 PM
I dunno - to me, it seems analogous to document destruction policies in force elsewhere.
I can see the problem if someone "forgets" to turn it off after being notified that he may have relevant documents to pending litigation.
Heh, maybe we'll see the law concerning spoliation develop more...
-Tony
Posted by: Tony at October 21, 2003 07:08 PM
It's me again Margaret. Did you hear about the day the squirrel went beserk in the Antioch Baptist Church?
Posted by: Alex Dolbayov at October 23, 2003 07:21 AM
Chitlins. Is there anything better in life that a big mess o'deep fried chitlins?
Posted by: Chitlin at October 26, 2003 02:20 PM