Intended recipients, and suchlike...

[alexpgp]

It's coincidental, I'm sure, but Merlin Mann had a post on his 43 Folders blog relating to email habits people ought to lose. Number two in the list is:

2. The 18-line sig about all the Bad Things that will happen to me if I ever reveal the contents of your privileged, confidential (and unencrypted) message

Boy, did that ever hit a sympathetic note, although in truth, there is no earthly reason to get upset by what is generally unenforceable babbly that is the result of having to justify having a lawyer on staff.

I mentioned a weird set of "terms and conditions" that appeared at the bottom of an unsolicited email the other day. Today, I notice this at the bottom of an email from a client:

Information contained in this message and all attachments are confidential and are intended solely for the exclusive possession and use of the addressee(s) (intended recipient). If you are not the intended recipient...

My brow furrowed over the sense of the part I've rendered in bold. It would seem only proper that this construction means to say that the addressee is the intended recipient, so therefore, if the message is addressed to me, the sentence starting "If you are not..." doesn't apply to me, because I am the intended recipient.

Lo, and behold, when I read the comments to Merlin's post, I see the following:

Whenever I receive a message with that horrible semi-lawyer speak at the end, I use the following signature in my reply:

DISCLAIMER:
By sending an email to ANY of my addresses you are agreeing that:
      1. I am by definition, “the intended recipient”;
      2. All information in the email is mine to do with as I see fit and make such financial profit, political mileage, or good joke as it lends itself to. In particular, I may quote it on my weblog;
      3. I may take the contents as representing the views of your company;
      4. This overrides any disclaimer or statement of confidentiality that may be included on your message.

I think I'll keep this in reserve for a rainy day.

And that ought to be the last word on the subject, unless something really egregious shows up in my inbox!

Cheers...

Comments

[tamaraland.livejournal.com]

Number 5 on his list The including of my — plus 98 other strangers’ — personal email addresses in the “To:” line of your friendly reminder about Tyler’s birthday party is one that really makes me crazy. My friends think it's funny that I bcc everyone when I send out group emails and they always joke that it's a side effect of growing up in a company family. It just doesn't seem polite to me, I would never spread people's telephone numbers like that, why not the same with email?