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Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!decwrl!pa.dec.com!decuac!hussar.dco.dec.com!mjr
From: mjr@hussar.dco.dec.com (Marcus J. Ranum)
Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy,comp.unix.admin
Subject: Re: E-mail Privacy
Message-ID: <1991May23.172155.28633@decuac.dec.com>
Date: 23 May 91 17:21:55 GMT
References: <15110@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> <1991May23.133507.21460@NCoast.ORG> <1991May23.155851.4496@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Washington Ultrix Resource Center
Lines: 20

kadie@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) writes:

>The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1976 protects e-mail.

	Not to my knowledge. It "protects" cellular phones (if something
can be said to be "protected" by deterrence) because they are a service
provided by a common carrier - I don't believe it says anything about
e-mail at all.

	All the time, USENET seems to entertain itself by hypothesizing
about The Law, and what it SHOULD or should not do, but the sad fact of
the matter is that the legal system is designed so that the only way to
make a really meaningful statement of fact about a situation is to feed
a lawyer and get a decision.

	In other words, your e-mail is not protected, unless you're
willing to hire a lawyer bigger and meaner than the other guy's -
maybe then you have a chance.

mjr.