The ECPA prohibits individuals and organizations such as online services and ISPs from knowingly providing a third party with content from e-mail communications. But the ECPA does not adequately cover e-mail in the workplace. In most cases, the courts have upheld companies' right to treat e-mail as their own property. In practice, employees can reasonably expect to use e-mail, as they do telephones, for minimal personal use. But they should do so cautiously.
Network administrators can easily access mail files.
Companies, in turn, should undertake a thorough audit to determine how their e-mail systems are being used. And they should develop a clear policy for e-mail usage. ZDNet and ZDNet logo are registered trademarks of ZD Inc. Content originally published in Ziff Davis Media publications is the copyrighted property of Ziff Davis Media. Ziff Davis Media. All Rights Reserved.