I understand that businesses must have a policy with email compliance, but some businesses are subject to privacy. Files are becoming increasingly kept in databases and archived. The government is allowed to track email in certain businesses, but if I am writing this business, the government should have no business interfering. For example, if I go to a doctor and I am diagnosed with a chronic cough. He prescribes me codeine to relieve the cough. A week or so later, I email the doctor and say I need more. If a government official wants to check email records, he/she may think I am addicted. This violates doctor – patient confidentiality. This scenario was light, but what if it was about a girl revealing teenage pregnancy. Government does not have the right to know about it. At the same time, if the doctor told his staff through email about someone’s diagnosis, he/she would be violating email compliance and HIPAA, which could result in serious consequences for the doctor.

One positive aspect of email compliance is that it can reduce spamming of real businesses. What do I mean by this exactly? For some businesses, it is a good idea to get a mailing list and send bulk email. It’s really no different than an annoying telemarketer. Legitimate businesses send bulk email after you sign up for certain things online like how to make money off the internet. The specific site that you signed up for may be a partner with another site you are now receiving email from. The email compliance they have to follow is usually an opt-out choice. The opt outs are usually in the fine print at the bottom of the email saying “you have received this email because you signed up for (whatever you signed up for) and if you would like to opt out from receiving this email, please click this link.” When you sign up for a lot of these, it does feel like spam. If this email compliance rule was not in affect, my inbox would be full on a daily basis.

Email compliance can be positive or negative. In any case, every business needs a policy. The use of phones, radio, television, or any other form of communication has a policy. Email may be relatively new, but it is communication, which gives right to all businesses to have an email compliance policy.