Writing Information Security Policies

Use of Email for Confidential Communication

I cannot stress enough that email is the electronic equivalent of a postcard. Information that is transmitted over the Internet passes as readable bytes available to anyone who can read them. As the traffic passes from one network to another, the probability of your email message being read increases. Additionally, if your message ends up in the wrong mailbox, you can unintentionally reveal information that should not be released.

After the message leaves your system, you have no control over who can read the message or that it even reaches its proper destination. Because of this, some organizations create policies that do not allow confidential or proprietary information to be included in email. ...