E-mails are particularly hard to get rid of. Copies remain on the sending and receiving computers. Copies remain on the mail servers they pass through, and these servers usually have back-up archives.
For example, part of the evidence against Iran/Contra conspirators Oliver North and John Poindexter came from 5,000 e-mails which they had tried to delete but which were recovered from server back-up archives.
The Blair government is facing allegations about the sale of honours by his Labour government, and recovered e-mail messages may figure prominently in this ongoing scandal.
What have you said in an email that you shouldn’t have?
Triple killer seeking early parole
Murderer’s bid shocks family
By SARAH KENNEDY, CALGARY SUN 26 Jan 07
… Daljit, furious over the marriage that went against the family’s wishes, hired a private investigator to track down the couple so he could carry out a so-called honour killing.
… Daljit found his sister and her husband in their car, leaving Mukesh’s shop.
He walked up to the car and fired almost 30 bullets into the young couple.
LINK
Wednesday January 24, 2007 (Sky News)
A software company in New York has come up with a way to make emails self-destruct. VaporStream says it can make them disappear in a puff of virtual smoke. To be able to use it, both sender and receiver must subscribe to the new technology.
LINK
Monday January 22, 2007 (Sky News)
Private detectives in Sydney have been paid to have sex with prostitutes by city officials.
The men were paid through official channels to do the deed so as to give evidence in court cases aimed at closing down brothels.
Link
Telphone numbers aren’t as good sources of information as they once were. We found this on a Toronto area blog:
Another option is to get yourself a “pay as you go” account and a cheap cell phone, which you use exclusively… I am not familiar with all the various “pay as you go” accounts, and purchasing of cell phones, but I do have experience with one provider…I was able to…plunk down about $70, and walk away with a totally untraceable phone and phone number. Even when I went on-line to initialize the phone, I was able to use a fake name and contact information with no problem.
Last month CBC News reported that Saskatoon PI, Michael Robinson, plead guilty to illegally accessing the Canadian Police Information Computer (CPIC) and was fined $20,000.
In 1992, Robinson’s firm, Robinson Investigations, was investigated by police and several government departments for breaches of privacy within government departments. Six government employees were fired as a result of the investigation.
