As technology advances at a steady rate, the demand for inexpensive, efficient, and accurate computer applications rises. Frequently requested programs are the World Wide Web, or Internet, and electronic mail. Commonly reffered to as "e-mail", electronic mail is a paperless form of communication that allows messages to be sent from one computer to another. Most view e-mail as the most efficient, inexpensive, and accurate method of communication.
Currently, e-mail dominates modern corporate communication. A 1998 survey conducted by Forrester Research, Inc. estimated that 98 percent of all companies with over 1,000 employees have Internet access. According to the International Data Corp., 1998 research revealed that 90 million workers in the United States were sending 1.1 billion business e-mail messages per day. An estimated 1.5 billion messages will be sent each day by the end of 2002. .
Since the invention of e-mail, privacy has been a significant concern. As both programs" populartity continues to rise, problems concerning privacy have escalated. Pivacy and security are virtually non-existent on the Internet unless users take extra precautions to protect their personal settings. E-mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet and security experts have estimated that only about one in every 100 messages is secured against interception or alteration. While most Internet Service Providers claim to be security conscious, experts say inadequate attention is given to security. A typical e-mail message must travel through several computer systems before reaching its final destination. The privacy level of that message depends on policies and regulations governing the owners of all computer systems through which it travels. Maintaining your privacy when sending an e-mail depends heavily on you. Key personal information should not be sent through e-mail. Your information may not be private, even when you think it is.