"Secret Emails"

[LANMAN]

I know this story has been going around quite a bit so I apologize for digging it up, but recently some friends of mine had a good question.

When that NASA chick as having the "fling" with that dude and she was sending him all those emails about how she desired him etc...
How does the media get a hold of that? Do most ISP's record every email that goes through they're system even if the customer hits delete and empties their recycle bin?

The real question then that was asked is how secure is your email when you dump your trash etc..? (I realize that email is sent in clear text)

--LANMAN

 

[dug777]

Just encrypt it all.

 

[RichUK]

Anything and everything that passes through an ISP can be potentially monitored and investigated.

 

[LANMAN]

I'm not asking how to prevent it, just wanted to know how they were able to retrieve all her email.

So for your whatever ISP you have - if you download all your email to your local client and/or use a browser based email client how do you know if your really deleting it? Maybe this chick just didn't "clean house" that well, I don't know, but that's pretty wierd that after the fact they (media) had snip-its from her email to her "boyfriend".

I know where I work we put the email database onto tape, but if you delete it from your inbox/sent items/deleted bin, that stuff is gone.

--LANMAN

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: LANMAN
I know this story has been going around quite a bit so I apologize for digging it up, but recently some friends of mine had a good question.

When that NASA chick as having the "fling" with that dude and she was sending him all those emails about how she desired him etc...
How does the media get a hold of that? Do most ISP's record every email that goes through they're system even if the customer hits delete and empties their recycle bin?

The real question then that was asked is how secure is your email when you dump your trash etc..? (I realize that email is sent in clear text)

--LANMAN

You shouldn't send what you don't want someone else to see.

 

[LANMAN]

Originally posted by: RichUK
Anything and everything that passes through an ISP can be potentially monitored and investigated.

Agreed, but what if its a few weeks ago.. or a month ago? I would think that would be an administrative nightmare (if I was a ISP) having to record or save every single email that has entered/exited the network.

--LANMAN

 

[LANMAN]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: LANMAN
I know this story has been going around quite a bit so I apologize for digging it up, but recently some friends of mine had a good question.

When that NASA chick as having the "fling" with that dude and she was sending him all those emails about how she desired him etc...
How does the media get a hold of that? Do most ISP's record every email that goes through they're system even if the customer hits delete and empties their recycle bin?

The real question then that was asked is how secure is your email when you dump your trash etc..? (I realize that email is sent in clear text)

--LANMAN

You shouldn't send what you don't want someone else to see.

Again, I agree its all clear text. But how did (whomever) law enforcement, ISP or whatever get these emails that were released to the public? ISP? Her computer? His computer? Was it sniffed off the wire?

--LANMAN

 

[RichUK]

ISP?s are the overlords of the internet.

When you download you emails from your internet email service provider, they are routed through your ISP. Although your ISP is constrained by the data protection act, your activity and data can still be investigated if need be by the FBI etc.

However, I?m not exactly sure if and how an ISP actually archives the data passed through their servers.

 

[Alone]

I highly doubt e-mail is stored anywhere, either in a buffer or anywhere else. The sheer quantity of e-mails sent per day would be a huge reason not to.

 

[snapper316]

pretty sure she used her business e-mail (dumb dumb dumb)

and e-mail is never technically "deleted". it's not that large(as text)