Private Email and the White House

The concept of private email security has gained a lot of traction in recent years, particularly as it relates to the federal government.

Private email services can provide vital protection for those seeking to avoid intrusions like hacking and identity theft, as well as email users striving to simply safeguard their privacy. With a number of large-scale breaches of public email servers, which have exposed the sensitive information of millions of clients, the appeal of private email has become even more apparent. However, when it comes to government officials, the waters are a bit murkier regarding email usage.

Private Email Usage and the Presidential Election

One of the dominating issues in the 2016 presidential election was then-candidate Hillary Clinton’s usage of private email, particularly for sensitive and classified federal work. The issue became even more complex when Clinton deleted emails, prompting a full investigation into exactly what government messages were handled through her private email. Then-candidate Donald Trump zeroed in on Clinton’s private email usage, although his administration has also come under fire in recent months. At least six Trump administration officials have been accused of using private email for official White House business. However, there have been some clear distinctions between how the two camps approached the issue, particularly focused on Clinton’s deleting emails on the private server.

The Increasing Need for Private and Secure Email Services

Why all the controversy? Even though email is one of the driving forces in how we communicate — both professionally and personally — it’s still a growing and evolving entity. Businesses, individuals and governments are in an ongoing process of figuring out the best, and safest, ways to use the medium. As that decision-making process continues, technology is also flourishing, introducing new ways to enhance email, and to make it as secure as possible. With an industry that is so in flux, hard and fast rules, even when it comes to government, can be hard to come by, which may have put some government officials in a gray area when it comes to private email usage.

As the email industry evolves, however, the sophistication of hackers does as well. Widespread breaches have affected email systems around the world in recent years, pointing to the need for private email security. As more people opt for a secure email server, formal policies and protocols, including for government officials, will need to be revamped and revised to reduce the potential for private email controversy.

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