george@vax1.ccs.cornell.edu (George R Boyce) (04/22/87)
In article <493@gouldsd.UUCP> mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus J Ranum) writes: >... >What you are talking about here is a violation of Federal Law. >Electronic mail is protected under the same protection as the US Mail, >despite the speed difference ! It is legal for root to read a user's files, >delete them, trash an account, or even edit a user's files, but electronic >mail is protected. >... > >Marcus J Ranum >news/uucp admin. -------- I think you speak more of your own feelings than of the law. This topic, of data ownership and privacy, is a religous one and readers should be very careful before that allow someone's advice to guide their behavior. My opinion is that data is owned by its creator and not by the data center or even the creator's employer. Thus, I would need the same legal backing to read a user's files as I would to search a desk or a locker, e.g. a search warrant. On the other hand, I have customers who claim that the sponsor of the account owns the files and thus a professor may "spy" on his students because s/he is paying for the resources. I would be interested in references to actual law if anyone would care to do the research. Until then, I will continue to be very conservative with other people's property. It keeps me out of trouble, don't you know.