Protect Yourself & Your Friends with BCC

The Problem

Many people get information that they believe to be important, informational, or hilarious and they want to share it with anybody and everybody that they know. However, I believe that there are some people that will forward anything just because the bottom of the email that they received told them to do so. Perhaps it claims that it can be tracked, but that is not always the case... and I'll have to explain this is another article.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the sharing of information that is the problem.

The first part of the problem is that everyone that was included on the email now has everyone else's email address, and now they too can you send you "junk" mail. Chances are, you will start receiving emails from people you've never heard of, never met, and perhaps by the content, wouldn't care to meet, but that's not the end of it.

The second part of the problem is that many computers become infected with viruses and other malware (malicious software) that gathers information from files and databases on the computer. This includes the address book! Now you're more vulnerable you may eventually start receiving SPAM email asking you to go to some website to verify your account. Sadly though, most people won't verify the link in the email sent to them before entering their information.

The third part of the problem is due to parts one and two, you are now vulnerable to identity theft. Identity theft is a fast-growing problem that costs millions of dollars each year. It can be difficult to track and difficult to determine the origins of it.

The Solution

BCC, or blind carbon-copy, is a method by which you can email as many people as you wish, without making their email addresses publicly known. With it, you can email as many people as you want the same email message, without making them aware that anyone else even received the email that you sent to them.

BCC is good practice from a security standpoint, but it's also good net-etiquette. Be a good netizen, learn how to use it, and pass this information on to the next person who includes you on a large list.