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E-mail Usage
 E-mail
can be misused both intentionally and unintentionally, and while critical
to getting our job done efficiently, has its share of risks to the organization.
The level of risk to the organization varies with the kind of incident,
ranging from slow system response to potential lawsuits, fines, or congressional
inquiry. Increasingly, however, those who display objectionable material
in the workplace, or who send objectionable material via E-mail put themselves
and the agency at risk of suit or increased oversight. Remember that your
address ends in "cdc.gov". Whenever you go to a web site, or
send an E-mail, the "cdc.gov" tag is included. Audit logs can
capture such information, and these logs later can find their way to unknown
destinations, sometimes with very embarrassing consequences. Examples
of E-mail misuse are:
- Chain letters
- Incorrectly addressing an email with highly sensitive
information
- Spam (usually refers to messages the receiver
does not desire)
- Hoaxes and rumors
E-mail can also be used to introduce computer viruses
into agency systems. If your personal action results in a cost of more
than $5,000 to the agency, such as cleaning up after a virus, a report
is required to be made to the Office of the Inspector General of HHS,
according to HHS Policy.
The simplest thing to do with messages that are not
related to agency business is to delete them. Remember that chain letters,
spam and other types of e-mails not related to agency business are expressly
prohibited by CDC policy. If you receive repeated unwanted messages, or
if you receive messages containing threats against a person or the agency,
or messages that you find offensive, or contain derogatory or ‘hate’ material,
contact your LAN Administrator or your CIO ISSO.
See CIO
ISSO list.
See CIO
LAN Administrator list.
See Employee Use
of CDC Information Technology Resources.
See About's
Internet Hoaxes, Email Rumors and Urban Legends.
See HoaxBusters: Information About Hoaxes
See CDC's
Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors
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