Public Employees' Private Email Stays Private

from the that-makes-sense dept

Fri, Sep 12th 2003 11:04am — Mike Masnick

Over in Florida, the State Supreme Court has ruled that government employees who use private email accounts don't have to turn over their private emails to the public - even if they wrote them at work using government computers. Some are saying that this just means government employees will shift any questionable activities to their private email accounts. Of course, that doesn't mean their private email can't be subpoenaed separately if there's something suspicious, but it does mean they won't have to open up their private emails any time there's a Freedom of Information request. It's a fine line, and about the only thing you can say for certain is that old laws concerning such freedom of government information were clearly written for a time before electronic communications were so widespread.

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Ed Halley, 12 Sep 2003 @ 11:48am

No Subject Given
Apparently Bush was an avid email user until he was elec, er, sworn into office. I wonder if this ruling will trickle up into the private and personal discussions by officials at the highest levels.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- George Bush, 5 Sep 2006 @ 4:41pm
  
  Trickle up?
  You better believe it'll trickle up mister! You'll have a load of buckshot trickling up your a** in a few days, whenever Cheney checks is gMail, you unamerican f*ck! We are not safe and it's people like you that are making me edgy. Am I making my self clear?
  
  G
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]