Email is fast, convenient, informal, easy, and becoming universal. Companies accept that some private or domestic Email traffic is a natural part of business life. But....

People think that Email is private. Not so. There are copies of every message you send scattered about the Internet, on backup files, and in temporary files, and miss-routed to strange addresses.

In many countries a court of law may request copies of Email messages from a companies archive files. Norwich Union sued Western Provident Association for £450,000 in damages after defamatory messages had been circulated on NU's internal Email system.

Professional firms may wish to include disclaimer on all Email messages in case the Email falls into the wrong hands. I think this looks awful, but the legal department must have their say.

Confidential Disclaimer

There are other disclaimers for particular industries - the health warning on cigarettes, the house-at-risk warning for secured loans, the Y2K cop-out messages, etc.

On defamation, it is not a good idea to use inappropriate, unwise or unkind denigration of any opponent. In the same way as it is not good tactics to denigrate the opposition in advertising.

Infringement of copyright when downloading or attaching files; breach of confidence by sending confidential material to third parties; sexual and racial harassment; creating a hostile workplace by circulating inappropriate material; failing to protect data - not least personal or medical data; transmission of computer viruses.....

Employers can monitor Email and have the tools for doing this, but it is a good idea to tell everyone they are doing so.

Email is fast, convenient, informal, easy, and becoming universal. Just watch your language!