Our rule of thumb concerning anything being sent on email is "If you wouldn't want it printed on the front page of any newspaper, don't write it."




[log in to unmask] on 02/22/99 01:30:43 PM
Please respond to [log in to unmask]@NetTalk
To:     [log in to unmask]@NetTalk
cc:
Subject:        HERVE GAGNON - Previously horror stories etc.

The comments and warnings from Peter Youngman, Ed Murray and Ross Weeks
about the risks from what others might find on museum computers are, of
course, all valid.

However, everyone posting messages to Museum-L should always remember that
it's not just a matter of somebody "finding on the museum computer"
something that the Board - or whatever - objects to. All postings to
Museum-L go onto our (very useful) web archive that is freely available to
all 90 million (or whatever today's figure is) users of the Web.

Further, even completely internal messages within an organisation can be
actionable at law.  Internal e-mails casting doubts about the financial
state of a much smaller competitor cost a leading UK life insurance
company almost $1 million in damages and legal costs a couple of years
ago.

Also, those following the current United States v. Microsoft Inc. case
will also know that the legal process of "disclosure" has brought into the
open all Microsoft's internal e-mails, and has turned up traffic
potentially very damaging to Microsoft's case on the claimed
interdependence of Windows 95 and Internet Explorer and other matters
relevant to the allegations of monopoly abuse.  Indeed, it's not
inconceivable that these alone could be enough to cost Bill Gates half of
his company.

Patrick Boylan