Independent Research And Press Quotes On Information Leaks, Law Suits Resulting From Offensive Emails, Spam Issues, And Email Tampering

	There are about 569,171,660 electronic mailboxes in the world at present, statistics compiled by Messaging Online show (as reported on March 14, 2000). The same study reveals that about 89 million Americans, or two-thirds of the US workforce, use email at work.
	Embarrassing/Offensive Emails Portray Corporations In A Bad Light
	New York Times Co. fired 23 employees on 30 November 1999 for sending inappropriate email. US press reports on December 3, 1999 showed that the US Navy disciplined over 500 employees for sending sexually explicit email. AnchorDesk (June 30, 2000) reported that a St Louis, USA brokerage house fired 25 employees and suspended another 48 for sending dirty jokes via email.
	"Many companies are finding that light-hearted emails can weigh heavily as evidence," reported The Standard of March 6, 2000. Similarly, Eric Arnum wrote, "Attorneys now routinely request copies of relevant email in the discovery phase of a trial" (Group Computing Magazine, May-June 1999).
	The US government used content from internally circulated email to score points against Microsoft Corporation. During the much publicized antitrust case they brought "into evidence embarrassing e-mail messages that portrayed Microsoft in the worst light possible"*. In a company such as this, where email is the preferred form of communication, changes in terms of email usage will have to be made, the article said.
	Under UK law, employers are held responsible for emails written by employees during their course of employment, even though the employer may not have consented to the mail. Norwich Union was asked to pay $450,000 in an out-of-court settlement as a result of particular comments relating to competition circulated internally via email**.

* PC WEEK, March 22, 1999
** Internet Magazine, May 1999

Many Employers now use 'Mail Server Disclaimer' tools to effectively make employees responsible for the content of their own messages.

	A Recent US Senate Survey, 12.6% Of Fortune 1000 Companies Reported Evidence Of Email Tampering
	Email tampering is on the rise. A survey sponsored by the US Senate recently revealed that 12.6% of Fortune 1000 companies reported evidence of email tampering*. Security experts believe the actual incidence of tampering is even higher - a reasonable supposition, considering that over 200 million email messages are sent daily.
	According to RPK Ltd., a UK-based cybersecurity company, law firms are most at risk from email tampering, the same PC Week article reported. These were followed by accounting, banking, financial, import/export and other similar companies conducting overseas business.
	A separate study conducted by NTA Monitor showed that over 16,000 systems in 11 countries in Europe and Japan were in desperate need of software upgrading and complete fault testing. "We often find there are substantive differences between intended security and achieved security," says NTA Monitor's security services manager**.
	As the need for greater email security continues to grow, network managers are realizing that they need a solution that is "manageable, scalable and secure-one that is easy to install and to use, requiring little or no key management by the user"***.

* PC WEEK, May 25, 1998
** Internet magazine, June 1999
*** InfoWorld, February 8, 1999

Many Employers now use scan the content of in- and outbound mail for offensive language or confidential information or files.

The study, which involved about 800 workers, featured in PC Week* . The article reported that a hostile work environment is created when potentially offensive email is exchanged. Moreover, such email could also cost the company a considerable amount of money. The recent case where Chevron was forced to pay $2.2 million to settle a law suit, actually resulted from an internally circulated sexist email.

In another article on the same topic, Neal Furst, a security analyst at a Southwestern manufacturing company, spoke of the importance of internal security: "The dollar value associated with a loss like that would be astronomical in our environment"**. The same article reports that network administrators have admitted that there is far more risk of data being stolen from within the company than from outside. In fact, FBI statistics back this claim. A survey carried out last year on Fortune 500 companies revealed that most data thefts came from internal users. The problem, according to the article, is that IT administrators are very much aware of these security threats but "have had little ammunition to combat them".

*PC WEEK, March 22, 1999 **PC WEEK, January 11, 1999

In A Survey Done Amongst 800 Workers, 31% Admitted Sending Confidential Information Out Via Email

Survey results recently released by NFO Worldwide revealed that:

	10% of the workers admitted they had received email that contained company-confidential information.
	21% to 31% admitted sending, via email, confidential information like financial or product data outside the company.
	55% admitted having exchanged what some might consider racist or sexist mail.
	60% admitted to having both sent or received adult-oriented material.