BlogBreak

By ebaby

September 23, 2008 7:50 AM | Link to this

I have used my personal email account for business when my work email was down. It was more important to get the job done then worry about protocol. It never became a habbit and once the IT problem was fixed, I was back on my work account. I suppose government business is more sensitive, but if its a matter of getting the job done, Id rather the emergency be addressed than be neglected because of a technical glitch.

By jakesdad

September 23, 2008 8:15 AM | Link to this

they may well be less bad than some of the free public providers but if you think email is secure because it’s on a government server I’ve got a bridge for sale…

there are few (if any) LESS secure forms of communication than email - MAYBE shouting at each other at the top of your lungs across the atrium at the airport but that’s not too far off as an analogy to how smtp works…

By Concerned

September 23, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this

Joy, you are missing the point. Federal and state laws require government to be conducted in the open. (Freedom of Information Act). The primary criticism of Pallin here is not the security of the email account being used, but that she was using a personal email account for government matters in order to conduct government business secretly. It should be a huge concern to all Americans, regardless of political persuasion, when their leaders attempt to hide government affairs from the press and, in turn, the voters.

By amy

September 23, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this

She should have definitely used a government email for work. People who use yahoo or hotmail to conduct business are just cheap and that is just tacky…

But I’m sure the hackers can get into the gov’t’s email system just as easy….nothing is secure.

By Robert

September 23, 2008 8:49 AM | Link to this

You assert as a fact that Palin used the Yahoo account “to conduct state business,” but there is no evidence of that.

By Robert

September 23, 2008 8:49 AM | Link to this

You assert as a fact that Palin used the Yahoo account “to conduct state business,” but there is no evidence of that.

By GA_GUY

September 23, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this

Concerned,

You stated that Palin “was using a personal email account for government matters in order to conduct government business secretly.”

Can you please provide your evidence that proves her intent to conduct business secretly? I have not seen such evidence and would be interested in seeing it.

By amy

September 23, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this

Robert-if you had paid attention to the story when it had first broke, all of the news outlets were reporting that it was a YAHOO account that she used. I saw it on several stations. So I guess that’s what Joy is reiterating.

By Original Rick

September 23, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this

And the name on the Yahoo account was Gov.something@yahoo.com. That in itself says she was using the acct for state business.

Do not forget the Karl Rove had the Bushies using RNC accounts for government activity, thus hiding a lot of messages, some million or so.

Question: Did Rove write a manual on how to keep the public ignorant of government dealings and sell it on a private web-site? I bet as time goes by we will see more and more private accounts used in this manner.

By EG_CA_KO

September 23, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this

Government Officials that use public email accounts for anything other than personal matters are dumber than @%&^^& As a security officer for the military and in public service before pc, advent of pc and after pc it is plan stupid, with a capital “S” - Super Stupid. Example Couple years ago, I notified my city council members who’s day jobs where sheriffs not to use the Sheriffs email address for city business. Especially, since they where in contract negotiations with the Sheriffs dept for services. As I explained to the council members - IT’S NOT YOUR PROPERTY! IT BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE AND SO DOES THE EMAILS YOU WRITE! So, all their strategies where not protected, but owned by the Sheriffs dept. Palin is an idot if she wrote one state business email on the yahoo account. Yahoo accounts belong to yahoo basically and for business ethics they use basic protection… not to protect you - THEM! * God some people are just Stupid **

By JeremiahWright

September 23, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this

Concerned is just another whack job. People like her are the reason the Dems will lose again in Nov. Chalk it up to whack jobs like the ACLU, MoveOn, MediaMatters, and all the various “colorful” associates of Obama as well.

By JeremiahWright

September 23, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this

EGCAKO,

Given the poor grammar and spelling in your post, I shudder to think you were once responsible for my security. And yet I’m not surprised you were in public service. And you should definitely reconsider calling anyone else stupid.

By Mack Daddy

September 23, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this

It is obvious that she used yahoo email for official business to hide what she was doing. Now she has deleted those emails in violation of Alaska law. They are required to keeps original documentation of all communication.

I am not a Governor and I keep & archive every email I have ever sent & every email I have ever received. Saying that you use yahoo when your work server is down is a cop out for Palin. Every firm, institution, & gov’t has 2 outgoing email servers for your work email. One is your domain name email server and the second is your ISP email server. example

Say you work for CBS, so your domain is cbs.com. Now let’s say CBS uses Sprint for their Internet Service Provided. So they probably normally use smtp.cbs.com as their outgoing email server. If it fails they can always use their ISP’s email server smtp.sprint3.com.

By Nov 4 Please

September 23, 2008 12:01 PM | Link to this

If she had used her yahoo account to conduct government business it wouldn’t be speculation. The email, or emails, would have been all over the newswire. She used her personal account to email a personal friend - who works for the state of Alaska - to complain about the national media. That isn’t government business.

Read the emails. No conspiracy. She wasn’t trying to hide anything. She named the account gov.sarah@yahoo.com. I, almost, believe it was purposeful. She knew the democrats were looking and she gave them some low hanging fruit.

By McCain Rules

September 23, 2008 12:10 PM | Link to this

Everyone uses personal email and uses the internet for their own use at work. How else do you make it through a day. I don’t know how I did it 20 years ago before this technology existed.

By EG_CA_KO

September 23, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this

JeremiahWright my focus was at government officials, not at those who have expressed their opinion and I was not concerned with my verbage. In these times I have little respect for politicians. You on the other hand have no respect for civil servants or this countries military. One of my jobs was to over see security, another of my jobs was to find people… I was good at both and some of the other jobs I had. I am a retired, kind and humble person and don’t have time for the likes of your kind. But some of my veteran buddies… thems may take your comments personal.

By pr

September 23, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this

I agree with the security guard, only it happens with company pets too. I worked with one pet, that downloaded his girl friends emails and he was married, the idiot printed them out, as nasty as they were, and left them in printer. TALKING ABOUT DUMB! DUH!!!!

By clyde

September 23, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this

I always used the company email account to do company business,but I used my personal phone to conduct company business at times.I used the personal visit when I didn’t want anything on the record.

If I were an elected government official I would do what seemed best at the time and simply file a record of it so the records would be available should anyone ask.

A journal,updated daily,will be an immense help at the deposition.

By Road Scholar

September 23, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this

Clyde: You are right on! I always used my business account to do business (Am retired now from Gov’mt). FOIA makes available all correspondences to inquiry. The phone, or even better, in person, was the way to handle delicate matters. While I did business from my home PC, it was through my Department’s server.

It was reported that one of Palin’s subordinates sent an e-mail to her business account and her secretary/adm asst refreshed his memory that thie account he sent the controversial issue to was not her personal account. His response was OOPS! I believe her business and personal accounts only differed slightly in name.

As to access, if the intent was to influence business decisions, then it was a business e-mail and should be made available. While she may have deleted the e-mail, they should confiscate her computer and get to the hard drive….unless that has been swept clean. Now there is just cause to think something is amiss. She is a self proclaimed maverick and crusader. what is there to hide?

By Noelle

September 23, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this

The only time I’ve used a personal e-mail address for busines was when work e-mail was inaccessible (a rarity). And in those cases, I normally CCed my work address.

I’m not a Palin supporter by any stretch of the imagination, but I also don’t think it’s been proven that Sarah Palin used non-government e-mail accounts to conduct government business (which would, and should, be illegal). It’s been alleged that she did so, and that some of those e-mails specifically discussed using that system to hide discussions from public access. I haven’t seen anyone produce actual e-mails as proof, though. Even if they were erased on her end, someone received them on the other end. (Of course, that person could’ve erased them, too, since they’d be in the same hot water.)

I don’t think we’ll ever know the truth.

By robo

September 23, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this

JeremiahWright,

Only an idiot starts sentences with “and”. You did it twice in one post, so you are a double idiot. Plus, jerkwads that want to be the grammar police on pitiful message boards should learn about grammar first, or risk being exposed as the numbnuts that they are.

By clyde

September 23, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this

Children,children,I graduated from school in 1961 and I haven’t been concerned with my grammar since.I have met a lot of people in my lfetime and I can tell you that the rules of grammar don’t apply in life.It’s the idea that you are trying to convey and as long as that’s accomplished the rest doesn’t matter.

By whynot

September 23, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this

Possibly charged rape kits to victims, does not believe in evolution, religion is questionable, encourages shooting bears and wolves from lowing flying planes, troopergate, no abortions for rape or incest, supported the bridge to no where before she opposed it. Has a pregnant teenager, her only experiences with Foreign Relations is the fact she can see Russia from AL, Questioned a librarian about book banning and later the librarian was fired. Does not believe in Global Warming, and left her city in debt as Mayor. Has not submitted her tax returns yet.

If you think she is a good candidate you deserve what you get.

By JeremiahWright

September 23, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

Mack Daddy, it’s not “obvious”. You’re a left wing loon. Quit getting your “news” from sites like MoveOn.org and MediaMatters.

By don't think so.

September 23, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this

who cares??, the gov’t already knows everything anyway, why do you think we are broke? Thanks gov’t.

By Jeff Pruett

September 23, 2008 3:38 PM | Link to this

As an IT manager, I would say that anyone who sends any kind of confidential on an non-encrypted email system is a fool. If you normally receive emails (or documents) with confidential information, you don’t want to open them at Starbucks either.

By srsly

September 23, 2008 3:48 PM | Link to this

Perhaps we are forgetting two important facts (1) Palin has two personal email accounts that were hacked, not just one. She has gov.sarah and gov.palin (pretty creative) and (2) they were hacked by an anonymous posse, also responsible for hacking Scientology emails.

The Dems have no legitimate proven contact with this case and the person who hacked the account simply logged on to Yahoo, typed her email address and pretended to “forget” the password. Yahoo allowed the user to enter answers to secret questions that anyone could have known by simply watching the news. Yahoo then emailed a link to change the password to the user and it was done. Twice.

By srsly

September 23, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this

Perhaps we are forgetting two important facts (1) Palin has two personal email accounts that were hacked, not just one. She has gov.sarah and gov.palin (pretty creative) and (2) they were hacked by an anonymous posse, also responsible for hacking Scientology emails.

The Dems have no legitimate proven contact with this case and the person who hacked the account simply logged on to Yahoo, typed her email address and pretended to “forget” the password. Yahoo allowed the user to enter answers to secret questions that anyone could have known by simply watching the news. Yahoo then emailed a link to change the password to the user and it was done. Twice.

By srsly

September 23, 2008 3:52 PM | Link to this

Perhaps we are forgetting two important facts (1) Palin has two personal email accounts that were hacked, not just one. She has gov.sarah and gov.palin (pretty creative) and (2) they were hacked by an anonymous posse, also responsible for hacking Scientology emails.

The Dems have no legitimate proven contact with this case and the person who hacked the account simply logged on to Yahoo, typed her email address and pretended to “forget” the password. Yahoo allowed the user to enter answers to secret questions that anyone could have known by simply watching the news. Yahoo then emailed a link to change the password to the user and it was done. Twice.

By Me

September 23, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this

What “gets me” about all this…is how someone from the State of Alaska IT dept(or technology group responsible for coordinating such matters for the governor’s office) didn’t step in and express concern and insisted she use the existing state email system?

Oh wait- now I know. If she was hell-bent to get rid a state trooper- she probably wouldn’t think twice about wacking a lowly IT grunt! Ha!

By Becky

September 23, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this

I vote we outlaw email altogether. I was less stressed before it was invented.

By EG_CA_KO

September 23, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this

So who’s at fault the kid that hacked the barely secure yahoo email account or the politician that has no security sense? For someone who is proud that she has Russia in her back yard, I feel better she knows how to use the Internet and handle confidential state material. I am sure Goggle would be happy to handle the white house account she would use to discuss action against Russian aggression. Hey lets use my space to videoconference with the generals regarding Taliban raids in Pakistan. Even JeremiahWrong should be able to get that point, maybe not probably trying to pick apart my grammer again…

By GA_GUY

September 23, 2008 8:53 PM | Link to this

OK, I’m still waiting. Would somebody please provide: your evidence that proves her intent to conduct government business secretly?

I’m hearing a lot of allegations, but I have not seen a bit of evidence. Any one?

By Old Sunshine

September 23, 2008 11:37 PM | Link to this

My! My! MY! Original Rick You sound so much like the typical disgruntled Liberal Democrat. Now do a little math. You said that Karl Rove had the Bushes ‘hiding over 1 million emails. As I recall, there is only ONE Bush in office. Doing the matn, and based on your assertions, the President would have to have spent the entire first term just reading emails @ approx 2 minutes per read. Then if he wanted to reply, there would probably be another 4 minutes per email. That would be 8 years of nothing but replying to emails. If I recall my Government education, President Bush is in office for ONLY 8 years. Sounds like the same old LIBERAL DEMOCRAT lies to me. It just never ends does it bud? Hope you just have a happy happy ole liberal day. BTW, don’t you just loooove Gov Palin.

By NavyMom

September 24, 2008 2:30 AM | Link to this

@Robo - now that was funny and now I will go to bed laughing - a double idiot - lmao

By Joy J

September 24, 2008 6:40 AM | Link to this

I work for a large local university, a well-respected, above-board, well-funded institution with current resources and an excellent administration. That being said, many of us experience the frustrations and daily foibles of email/internet technology. “This program is not compatible with THAT email,” or “THAT file format doesn’t translate when received by your AOL account…”

I’ve encountered this problem for months. The under-staffed I.T. (tech) support people have explained the problem but cannot easily fix it. I want to do my job efficiently. So?

Most days, I use my personal GMAIL account for work. I change my “user” ID to my work-related Identification/signature, but surely I’m sending many “work associates” messages from Mypersonal mail@google.com and I pay no attention to that. If my dealings are above board, professional, and honest, WHAT’s the darn difference? Does a client care if I’m using my office phone to call them, or if I use my personal Blackberry for that call? If I’ve got something to hide I’m sure to find a PAY PHONE somewhere, maybe…

I think there’s too much attention being paid to our TOOLS, and not nearly enough to the content of our communications. Get over it. Go back to the basics and just do your job! Or hack into my email account if you’re bored… it’s so very fascinating.

By Ted Striker

September 24, 2008 7:39 AM | Link to this

Georgia_Guy,

Post your street address and I’ll FedEx the proof to you.

By Daveonator

September 24, 2008 10:42 PM | Link to this

Well there seems to be two questions here:

Bottom line, as employees of organizations we all have perform due diligence (legal term) to treat our business related data confidential. If people are walking around with an unprotected blackberry/PDA (no password protection, etc) and they are receiving confidential information they should be disciplined by their workplace.

This would hold true as if you were checking a confidential email from your home email account and conducting work related business. In addition, if you are checking a work related email account from a public access machine you should still be held accountable if your password was stolen via a trojan planted on that machine. This stuff and more should all be covered by a security plan, and is covered by such standards as designated by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), or the British Standards Institute (BSI) frameworks that are commonly used as guides for the government all the way down to small businesses. If this isn’t defined then shame on the organizational entity, as they are not protected their best interest — which should be you (assuming you support that entity). Loosing information is very serious as it is how confidential information like Social Security numbers, etc are lost and also how many businesses go bankrupt. I don’t know about you… but I don’t want to worry about losing my identity because some boob (not referencing anyone in particular) thought it was OK to break security standards setup by the organization they work for and I support.

NO! However, I have forwarded personal information (sent by friends and family… which is annoying) from my business account to my home account.