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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 31, 2008
/ 28 Tamuz 5768
The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
By
Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Plans for Saturday?
That was the subject line of an e-mail I recently received. Someone else with a modem was interested in knowing if we should meet for lunch before catching a train to a Shakespeare matinee in Washington. It sounded enjoyable. For a split second, I gave some thought to going.
The only problem is that I was not the intended recipient. Turns out my editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer was in the midst of organizing a family trip to the theater in D.C. Somehow I was mistakenly included in the conversation. You might think this is Much Ado About Nothing. But the inadvertent hitting of "Send" is becoming a part of daily life, sometimes with more serious consequences.
In 2002, the Pew Internet and American Life project reported that 10 percent of so-called "work e-mailers" had accidently sent an embarrassing e-mail to the wrong person at work. By the time The Marlin Co. released its annual Attitudes in the American Workplace study in 2007, that percentage had doubled.
These phenomena strike in workplaces of all kinds, even the White House. Just last week a staffer mistakenly forwarded to thousands of reporters on the White House external contact list a Reuters story headlined "Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan - magazine." Oops. Not exactly what the Bush administration was anxious to convey given the president's support of John McCain.
Speaking of McCain, perhaps the only benefit of his Internet ignorance is that he never has to worry about inadvertently distributing e-mail. Come to think of it, neither must he worry about the twin evil of accidentally striking Reply All.
Of course, merely embarrassing yourself isn't the worst possible scenario. Take the case of Caryn Camp and Stephen Martin, two of the first casualties of the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. Back in 1998, Camp worked for IDEXX Laboratories Inc., a leading manufacturer of veterinary diagnostics products. On the market for a new job, she e-mailed her resume to Martin, owner of several companies that competed with IDEXX. Camp planned to leave IDEXX to work for Martin, and soon the e-mails escalated into an exchange of proprietary information in anticipation of that move.
That is, until Camp composed an e-mail whose contents she predicted would make Martin "feel like a kid on Christmas Day" - and mistakenly sent it to IDEXX's head of global marketing. After IDEXX notified the U.S. attorney, Camp and Martin were tried and convicted of conspiring to steal IDEXX trade secrets.
We've all heard stories of accidental e-mail. My favorite? Well, "I have this friend," as they say. He was asked by a woman, who had a gift of endowment, to help arrange a job contact. This caveman thought it appropriate to e-mail his contact to say that "there are two good reasons" you might wish to interview her. You guessed it. He cc'd her on the overture!
Even when the sender properly addresses the communication, there is still the possibility of unexpected eyes.
Another recent example is presented in the first 12 indictments in Pennsylvania's own "Bonusgate" investigation. Among the evidence presented to prove the existence of taxpayer-funded bonus programs and subsidized campaign work in Harrisburg are thousands of e-mails sent among the accused public servants. That investigation traversed state computers, laptops and BlackBerrys, though nobody mistakenly sent those e-mails to state Attorney General Tom Corbett. Still, once you hit Send, your dispatch is out there for anyone to find - and no amount of deleting can turn back the clock.
To be sure, the Internet has benefitted our personal and professional lives. As with ATM cards, the television remote, iPods and Blackberrys, it's difficult to imagine living in a world without such gadgetry. But the hazards associated with the simple click of a mouse are significant. Sometimes using the Internet necessitates a dose of the old-world practicality with which we were all raised: a World Wide Web equivalent of counting to 10 before you speak.
Here's more drastic advice. Former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo was fond of saying, "Never send a letter, and never throw one away." Perhaps he was a soothsayer, despite never having heard of Microsoft Outlook.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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