Patent ID: 7020779

Claim:
An e-mail handling system, wherein e-mail messages are entered, transported and stored, the system comprising: a central key repository; means for encrypting a message using a key associated with the message; means for adding the key to the central key repository, wherein at least one key in the central key repository is an encryption key associated with a message designated as an off-the-record message and at least one key in the central key repository is a null key associated with a message designated as an on-the-record message such that the on-the-record message can be read without an encryption key; means for tagging the off-the-record message such that the off-the-record message and copies thereof are identified as being off-the-record; and means for deleting the key for a message when the message is to be made unrecallable, wherein the off-the-record message and copies thereof are rendered unreadable when the key associated with the off-the-record message is deleted, wherein at least one key in the central key repository is a deleted key associated with a message designated as an unreadable off-the-record message, thereby representing a previously available message that is presently unreadable, the e-mail handling system further comprising means for indicating the unavailability of the deleted message.