Personal Vs. Professional E Mail: The Palin Case

Last fall’s break-in of Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's private e-mail account can serve as a fascinating case study in an Ethics in Computing class. The break-in is a clear violation of federal law, and the ethics of that should not be in serious doubt. But what about posting the contents of her private e-mail on a public Web site? Was that unethical too, as a violation of privacy? Suppose the information posted revealed an indiscretion relevant to the campaign or a violation of the law, would it still be unethical, or does the public have a right to know? The Diebold case from a few years ago comes to mind; here confidential information about e-voting software was posted accidentally and resulted in a much-needed security audit. And what of the claim that Governor Palin was conducting some state business using her Yahoo account? If she did this to circumvent state open-records laws, it would clearly be illegal; but if not, could it still be considered unprofessional? And if so, is all business use of unofficial e-mail accounts unethical, even if the purpose is to, e.g., accommodate larger attachments than inboxes can hold on the employer's e-mail system? Suppose the employer has a policy (as some universities do) of allowing private use of the employer’s computer equipment, as long as it does not hinder official use? How can our students protect their accounts against break-ins? Not only does this case raise important privacy issues, it also touches on the issue of separation of work and personal life, which all of our students will face as they begin their careers.