Britain’s Information Commissioners Office has warned professional bodies they are running the risk of identity theft, loss of intellectual property and litigation against the offender who sent the data unprotected. The office can also issue fines of up to £500,000 for security breaches.
Meanwhile, the US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently admitted not using e-mail because of security concerns.

Fax comeback

According to UK digital communications specialists Fresh Skies, some insurance companies have even opted to switch back to fax to avoid the dangers of e-mail.
Simon Freeman, director of Fresh Skies – which has just released cloud-based e-mail encryption solution Mkryptor – commented yesterday that ‘nearly the entire legal profession’ appears to be content to merely append disclaimers at the bottom of e-mails. He said: ‘Many parts of industry are getting to grips with the problem but there are still those who remain exposed and also consider it OK to expose their customers in terms of confidentiality risk.
‘Think about how ridiculous this is. You would not think it OK to not bother putting locks on your doors of your house to prevent a burglary, but instead put up a small sign in the house saying “in case you find yourself inside my house without permission please do not steal anything and leave immediately”.’