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.