Kitz Forum
Internet => Web Browsing & Email => Topic started by: AdrianH on February 14, 2012, 09:56:02 AM
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We all hate spam and malware, we all try to protect our privacy yet people are still blindly sending email using the "CC" field to send to multiple addresses.
1) This is plain wrong, did you ask permission to publish a personal email address? Would you want someone to place your address and phone number on a public notice board? No, so where is the difference?
2) You are helping criminals propogate spam/scamware/malware etc. as the details get passed to machines that are insecure or infected and at best your personal privacy has been breached.
3) If you run a club,business,website,forum,group etc. sending email using the "CC" field you are committing an offence under the Data Protection acts and EU law, this can bring you to the attention of the ICO and make you liable for prosecution. The ICO will then be bound to check your site/organisation and other activities for other breaches. 90% of websites and forums I see are still breaking numerous privacy laws that came in to force in 2003. Give the ICO an excuse and they will take action and the penalties will hurt.
A fellow forum admin is at present being jumped upon after falling foul of a complaint over "CC"'d mail, now the ICO don't see a privacy policy that complies with all the required laws and he is wishing he had insurance for what started out as a hobby site for friends.
Personally it drives me mad when people just pass your personal email address around without a thought and legal action for breaches of privacy are increasing.
So what do you do? Use the "BCC" field ( if your email client doesn't have this change it) which will send mail to multiple addresses but hide the list from all the other recipients.
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Totally agree with you on this Adrian.. its one of my pet hates about email and people that use the cc field.
One of my rants from >10 yrs ago (http://www.kitz.co.uk/tech/emailrant.htm)