[summer]

What I don't think most people realize that just about every e-mail that goes across the internet is archived in at least one place, if not four or five places.

I agree with people's concerns and advice about email, but, frankly, I don't understand how what you said above can be true.

[kingu]

Most major ISPs archive e-mail that travels through their systems. Inbound, outbound and pass-through. I suppose originally this was intended as temporary measures, but it has become standard practice.

If you go by some of the same websites that warn against e-mailing people at google, the FBI and the NSA also archive every e-mail that passes through any of the major peer to peer centers.

Terrorists tend to use message boards for this reason.