Microsoft is launching self-destruct e-mails. An idea whose time is overdue. Hopefully their protocol will be "open" so that other systems can incorporate the feature. I have to imagine it won't be hard to reverse-engineer.
I learned something rather surprising from this article on the BBC...the U.S. Government does not allow destruction of email?? I wonder who is obligated to keep the email, for how long and other details.
Can you imagine being fined for deleting Junk Mail?? Since the government is so interested in email, why can't they stop child pornography from being emailed to millions of people including children?
Excerpt:
Microsoft says Office 2003, which is to be launched on Tuesday, will allow users to "time stamp" e-mails, ordering them to be deleted on a set date.
But any organisation planning to install the new software may run into opposition from regulators.
In the United States, destroying e-mails is a federal offence, regarded in a similar light to shredding documents.
Earlier this year, brokers Morgan Stanley were fined $1.65m for failing to keep e-mail records.
