Microsoft launches 'leak-proof' e-mail

BBC News ^ | October 19, 2003 | BBC

[Recourse]

Microsoft launches 'leak-proof' e-mail

How the new Office software will look

The latest version of Microsoft's popular Office software will, the company claims, allow users to send e-mails that will "self-destruct" after a set time. The development is designed to improve security - and avoid potentially embarrassing messages coming back to haunt senders.

Microsoft says users will also be able to restrict who is allowed to read an e-mail - and prevent recipients from forwarding messages to other users or printing them off.

The new software - known as Information Rights Management - could potentially be used by governments and companies to prevent leaks of sensitive information.

Private e-mails

Several Wall Street analysts and bankers have been reprimanded or sacked in recent years for sending potentially incriminating electronic messages.

In the most high profile case, Merrill Lynch technology analyst Henry Blodget was forced to resign after investigators discovered he had been actively promoted stocks he privately rubbished in e-mails as "junk".

In the UK, government special adviser Jo Moore was sacked after she sent an e-mail describing 11 September 2001 as a good day to "bury" bad news.

More recently, private e-mails messages from members of the British Government and the BBC have been disclosed by the Hutton inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly.

Regulators

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.

The company says the deletions were an oversight, rather than a deliberate attempt to obstruct financial investigators.

Office 2003 also includes software intended to protect confidential information held in Microsoft Excel or Word programmes.

It is also designed to make it easier to read messages online, rather than printing them out, through a new viewing pane.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

leak-proof With Windows 95 we had code name 'Chicago'. What's this one, code name 'Huggies'?

[Squantos]

avoid potentially embarrassing messages coming back to haunt senders

Yeah like that one from the Clintonistas about killin Vince Foster.........:o)

[BJungNan]

GRC.com, Steve Gibson, may have a thing or two to say about this.

[Question_Assumptions]

So Microsoft wants to make it easier for people to evade legal action. Gee, I wonder why that is? Could this be a feature developed out of internal need?

[ryanjb2]

Here we go with the MS bashing...

[HAL9000]

The latest version of Microsoft's popular Office software will, the company claims, allow users to send e-mails that will "self-destruct" after a set time....

... just like their operating system.

[Publius6961]

Hmmmmmm.
The "Martha Stewart" insiders protection plug-in?

How creative!

[Publius6961]

Here we go with the MS bashing...

Can you explain how criticising a feature of most value to criminals constitutes "microsoft bashing"?

Please?

[Flyer]

after a set time.... ... just like their operating system.

Oh how I wish it was at a set time instead of random intervals.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Can you explain how criticising a feature of most value to criminals constitutes "microsoft bashing"?

Sure - go out and bash the companies that already sell this feature as an after-market plug-in for all sorts of e-mail programs. We use an after-market plug-in that does this exact same thing in our line of work. And if you want, you can go out and buy it yourself. I can make messages available only for a limited period of time, I can make them unforwardable, I can set it so you can't copy or paste any part of the message. I can also set it so the e-mail is destroyed after it's read - all sorts of nifty stuff.

[Bogey78O]

In a related story Glock now plans to offer a 20$ handgun that features no serial numbers, a new barrel that prevents all rifling on a bullet, a new coating that prevents dusting for fingerprints, and can only fire armor piercing bullets. It's called the Ghetto Blasting Cop Killer 400.

Glock will be marketing it towards hunters.

/sarcasm


Hehe...

[proust]

good golly, it's like you're living in a Mission Impossible episode :>

[proust]

I'd like a gun made out of chocolate.

[Tennessee_Bob]

now, if only the phone would self-destruct after ten seconds, then I wouldn't have to take any more phone calls.

[Action-America]

Once again, Microsoft makes absurd marketing claims. The following quote from the above article proves the point. Move your cursor over that text and you will see that it changes from a Text Select icon to an Image Select icon.

There is nothing in the software that will prevent screen captures. An underling, who wants to protect himself from possibly becoming a scapegoat in the future, can easily do a screen capture of an email that instructs him to do something questionable (just as I captured the above text from the article) and then print that image for archive or even for publication.

Just more of Microsoft's marketing lies... er... propaganda.

 

[nothingnew]

"self-destruct" after a set time.... ... just like their operating system."

BWAHAHAHGAHAHA!

BTW, I just found a virus on my computer...it's named "WINDOWS"....

FMCDH

[JoJo Gunn]

What about screen captures? Or having a VCR hooked up to the video card?

[ryanjb2]

"Can you explain how criticising a feature of most value to criminals constitutes "microsoft bashing"?"

Just because criminals can use it doesn't mean it doesn't have legitimate uses. Many attribute the worse motives to whatever Microsoft does. Well other software companies apparently have a similar product.

[Tennessee_Bob]

What about screen captures? Or having a VCR hooked up to the video card?

Sure, you can do a screen capture. You can also edit screen captures. I seem to remember a picture that made national news with Daschle pledging with the wrong hand - ring a bell?

As far as hooking up a VCR to a video card - that would be kind of difficult if the card isn't made to have a video card attached. Would also be kind of difficult to explain exactly why you have a VCR attached to your computer while you're at work - if you're not in a line of work that requires one. Myself, I'm not - I work at a pharmacy benefits manager - no need for a VCR or a capture card there.