One Step Ahead: Almanac Security Tips - 2013

Table of Contents (view all)

Spring Cleaning Your Office? Know What to Do with E-Waste
Keep Your Identity Safe When Filing Taxes This Year
Why use Penn+Box when Storing Data in the Cloud
Mobile Device Security - 3 Recommendations for Cloud Users (Hint: That's You!)
Be Aware of QR Code Risks
It’s Data Privacy Month: Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings and More
How Are You Celebrating Data Privacy Month?
Stay Secure while Working on Public Wi-Fi Networks
Protecting Your Finances During This Year's Holiday Shopping Season
Cloud and You
Security and Privacy Online Training & Tools
October: Free Secure Disposal of Paper and Electronics at Employee Resource Fair; NCSAM
Student Privacy - What Do I Need To Know? A FERPA Reminder
Top 10 Tips for Securing Your Smartphone or Tablet
Working Off Campus? Some Tips to Consider

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - Almanac Vol. 54, No. 17

Electronic Group Mailing Lists: Consider the Privacy Risks

One of the most popular features of e-mail is the ability to send the same message to a group of individuals with a single mouse click. For example, you can create a group of addresses with your mail program (such as Outlook), give the group a name, or “alias,” and substitute the alias for the underlying address list when sending a message. You can also initiate a list management service, or listserv, which allows you to send messages to list subscribers without entering a series of addresses. Although such “group emails” can be convenient, there are also several potential privacy risks to consider.

For example, when you send a message to an alias, do you first check to confirm that it is appropriate for everyone on the underlying address list to receive the message? Do you avoid using listserv names and e-mail aliases (as well as subject lines) that could reveal sensitive information if the message is seen by someone other than the intended recipient? Suppose, for example, that the e-mail alias for your message is “Cancer Support Group”—this in itself could potentially reveal, to office staff or others who inadvertently see the message, that the recipient has a health concern.

You can reduce the risk of revealing confidential information by routinely choosing neutral names for listservs and other e-mail address groups—for example, “student group A” rather than “academic probation group”. (Also, e-mail programs typically allow you to use the “bcc” field to enter the actual recipient addresses; you can enter your own address in the “to” field, keeping the identities of the actual recipients private.) When you initiate a listserv, select options that enable you to control who can see and use the subscriber list.

For further information about e-mail group mailing lists at Penn see www.upenn.edu/computing/list/.