1. E-Mail Privacy

2.  Fact: One of the least secure methods of communication you can use.  E-mails are stored at multiple locations such as sender’s computer, your internet service server, and the receiver’s computer.  If you think just because you delete an e-mail from your inbox doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple copies out there.

3.  E-mail privacy is derived from the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and is governed by the reasonable expectation of privacy standard.  E-mails are also governed by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA0 and the Patriot Act

4.  Most employees have their employees sign a computer and network usage policy, which typically will set forth that your e-mail is to be used only for business purposes and grants the employer the right to monitor e-mail and computer usage.  You may send communication from their equipment that could effect their business which usually provides them with the justification to search through your emails.

5.  Liability is the issue of most employers.  Workplace harassment lawsuits are prevalent, and one way to protect a business from being sued is to monitor and prevent any harassment in the first place.  Old emails will be used years down the road in a lawsuit. If you can purge a person emails they can be a gold mine for anyone suing the company.