Friday, August 28
Stupid E-mail Warning
Was auditing e-mail today, and ran across one of the stupid warning/notices at the bottom of the message. If you're going to warn people about something, especially a Federal Statue, you should really read what you are threatening with first.
Here is the warning:
NOTICE: This E-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521, is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, then delete it.
So, I Googled "Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521" and got the following link to the US Department of Justice.
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/wiretap2510_2522.htm
Turns out this is a statute realted to Illegal Wiretapping. Read it, nothing in there about accidentally getting a transmission, only if you wilfully tap a communication. If it is sent to someone by acident, nothing is covered.
Furthermore, the US Attorney General's Office must be engaged to seek prosecution in this matter. So, they would have to be willing to make a Federal Case for sending you something by mistake.
Nice try, stupid sender.
Here is the warning:
NOTICE: This E-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521, is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, then delete it.
So, I Googled "Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521" and got the following link to the US Department of Justice.
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/wiretap2510_2522.htm
Turns out this is a statute realted to Illegal Wiretapping. Read it, nothing in there about accidentally getting a transmission, only if you wilfully tap a communication. If it is sent to someone by acident, nothing is covered.
Furthermore, the US Attorney General's Office must be engaged to seek prosecution in this matter. So, they would have to be willing to make a Federal Case for sending you something by mistake.
Nice try, stupid sender.
Labels: e-mail, fail, legal, warning
Number of people who will never get their time back from reading this page:
