NEWS The latest version of Microsoft Office will be launched tomorrow – with a new feature that could land its users in legal hot water.
The new version of Outlook included in the package will feature an email 'self-destruct' feature, allowing users to mark their email and have it automatically delete itself after a set number of days, Microsoft claims.
And that's not all – the company says the sender will be able to limit who gets to look at the email itself, allowing the Office user in question to add a code to the email preventing the recipient from printing a copy of the email or forwarding it on to others.
The thinking behind the new product – Information Rights Management – is that it will help keep companies' correspondence more secure to stop sensitive emails coming back to haunt them at a later date and even being used as evidence in court.
While the software may help company bigwigs and minions alike avoid leaving themselves open to charges by leaving an email with someone they shouldn't have, the new software could land users in a whole new set of trouble. Keeping email records is a legal obligation for companies and those who can't produce them when they need to could fall foul of the wrath of the courts.
One company who suffered as a result of just such an issue is, you've guessed it Microsoft. During a court case over disputed video delivery technology, Microsoft was ordered to produce to a series of 70 emails which related to the case – but which the software Goliath claimed had inexplicably been deleted and couldn't be recovered...
The revamped Outlook will also include new anti-spam measures and a facility for making emails easier to read, with a view to cutting down on printouts.
Comments
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1. anonymous
Microsoft are seem to be leading the way for criminals sending illegal stuff such as porn, and then the recipient won't be able to print it off or forward the Email to prosecute the offender. Security is now being introduced for the criminal and not for the recipient. Please wake up Microsoft.
2. anonymous
I can see that they can stop you saving a copy of a message or printing it in the normal way but I cannot see how they could stop me printing a screen shot of an email - any more than they can stop me photographing the screen.
3. anonymous
just out of curiosity what does this feature do for spammers? I think it could be used for herassment.. no proof no foul.
4. John Schapel
Sending an e-mail could be regarded for all practical purposes as conducting a conversation. Even a commercial conversation as such is not subject to preservation and later retrieval, unless agreed to by both parties. Indeed, if it is so preserved by one party without the knowledge and consent of the other party, then this would likely constitute an offence. How, then can authorities argue that, when it suits THEM, a conversation between others ceases to be a conversation and instead becomes property of the authorities for their own convenience? To be consistent, they would have to require all conversations, no matter how conducted, to be indellibly preserved for all time! Unnatural, historically unique, and unenforceable.
5. Peter Bellamy
Sending an email is identical to writing a letter, just faster. As such, it actually belongs to the sender who holds the copyright, intellectual property rights etc. Of course, there is nothing or should be nothing to stop the recipient tearing it up, figuratively speaking, or using it in evidence or even forwarding it to a third party.
Making it read-only so it cannot be altered is a good idea but that is possible now.