Hi Maarja,
Thanks for your comments. It's fine that we disagree. I guess that
in the final analysis, I am responsible for what I send via email and
I take complete responsibility for sending it. Given the situation I
described, I think it reasonable and just to post Miller's
threatening message. I don't believe that I needed any consent by
her. I believe she implicitly relinquished any expectation to
privacy when her message became threatening and abusive. In such a
situation, I do not require the consent of the sending party to share
the information.
It's not a matter of hurt feelings v. personal privacy. It's a
matter of being threatened. Her wish for privacy does not trump
patently abusive and/or threatening language.
Please know that I don't mind that you and I have different opinions
on this. Nor do I mind that Miller and I may have different opinions
on an issue. I find it profitable to read your perspective, even
though I'm not (yet?) persuaded to your position. Nevertheless, I'm
happy you took the time to share your view and the reasoning behind
it.
Thanks again,
John
>John,
>
>You and I are going to have to agree to disagree on the issue of
>private, off list emails. You write that "I would hope that you
>would be even more uneasy with being sent off-list abusive email."
>No, that would not make me more uneasy than the forwarding private
>messages to the List. If I choose to put my opinions out there, on
>the List, then I should be prepared to handle whatever response they
>elicit.
>Actually I haven't received many abusive messages, fortunately. But
>I never would forward one to the List. People say things in private
>correspondence that they might word differently in a public forum.
>They might also display more emotion. I would take that into
>account.
>
>I understand why you believe that no email is private, but I
>disagree. In its intent, email might contain what one might have
>said in a letter. Yes, once sent, you never know to whom an email
>will be forwarded. But I think there is an intent in private
>exchanges that is worth honoring. If nothing else, you lack the
>consent of the sending party to share the information. I guess in
>the old days, if you handwrote or typed a letter to someone, it too
>could be copied. Or referenced. And its content shared somehow.
>But it admittedly would have been much harder to share than
>electronic mail.
>
>As archivists, in screening collections, we consider what
>information warrants restriction and what is appropriate for
>disclosure. So, one can argue that the way we handle messages
>related to the List has some relevance. I say, why not err on the
>side of privacy in the case of List generated private exchanges?
>Consider it good practice for when you may work in the future for a
>governmental or private sector employer who will trust you not to
>circulate internal institutional or corporate email outside the
>employing body!
>
>I would hope that in such a situation you would not believe that
>"emails are NEVER private. Once you hit send, that's it. It's out
>into the world forever and could end up anywhere." Because your
>employer will be counting on you and everyone else handling the
>institution's email to live up to the trust they place in you.
>Believe me, in any workplace, there will be plenty of messages where
>someone hits send and the note never should end up "anywhere" except
>in the in-box of the recipient. Freedom of Information Act
>specialists and lawyers screen government emails that are responsive
>to FOIA requests received by the public. If you are their
>colleague, they, not you, will be deciding what is disclosable.
>They are trained to consider case law and precedents, etc. As an
>employee, you could never just share internal emails with the public.
>
>Maybe I'm not going to convince you. Nor do I have to persuade you
>or anyone of anything on this List, of course. If nothing else,
>this shows that you and I have differing perspectives on this
>issues. Just as you and Dana have differing perspectives on
>archival education. That's the way it goes, sometimes. Can't we
>just leave it at that?
>
>Maarja
>________________________________________________________________________
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--
John Erdmann
Graduate Student
Library & Information Science
Email: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 206-685-5240
A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]
In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>