[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Last month, the email addresses<\/a> of 147 gun owners were shared in an email. Whoever was sending the email put everyone in the ‘cc’ line.<\/p>\n That meant their email addresses could be read by anyone who received the email or anyone they forwarded it to.<\/p>\n We’ve all been there. Everyone will have either done this in error and included a huge group in the ‘cc’ line of the email, or they have accidentally replied to all, and had every ‘out of office’ reply and bad address bounce back. At the very least, we’ve all seen these emails.<\/p>\n What is new is to see this described as a serious privacy breach by the Privacy Commissioner, in a more serious stance towards cybercrime. Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said it wasn’t until the following day that his office was formally notified. \u201cThis [breach] is frustrating, given the significant known risk of email address errors and the opportunity the new authority had to design in-system guardrails<\/em>,\u201d Webster said.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/kinetics.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DALL\u00b7E-2023-08-07-13.01.26-email-too-many-recipients.png” title_text=”email to many recipients” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n In this case, anyone receiving the email now has the email address of other gun owners, and they could theoretically use that for, well, anything.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n For small groups, at work, who know each other, ‘cc’ makes sense.\u00a0 \u00a0But for larger groups in the public sphere, please think very carefully before hitting send.\u00a0 (Outlook even warns you).\u00a0 Use ‘BCC’ or an email tool that individualises the messages.<\/p>\n