The UK public has a greater respect for the privacy of posted letters than they do emails, according to the findings of a new survey by Indicii Salus. 83 per cent of those questioned said they believe that emails are “free to be read”, but would not consider opening a sealed envelope without invitation. However, once opened, over a quarter see a letter as fair game for public viewing.
While happy to use email for sending general innocuous messages, 79 per cent said they would still post or courier confidential or urgent private documents, believing that email is neither secure nor 100 per cent reliable. However, a massive 93 per cent said they would prefer to use email if the communication could be comprehensively and quickly secured – citing it as a more cost-effective and speedy communications tool.
Prying eyes are most interested in other people’s personal finance details according to the research. Of those admitting to have secretly looked at a colleague’s email, 36 per cent said they were most interested in salary review and bonus details.
Monitoring the number of personal emails sent and received by staff is also a popular snooping activity, particularly by managers. On 23 per cent of occasions, this has caused animosity between spying colleagues and the emailer. Relationships, particularly emailed arguments between boy/girlfriend also make “great reading” and are the most likely type of email to be forwarded to others.
