[Gllug] ``Confidential'' .sigs [Was: hosts.conf/nsswitch.conf debate]

[Jan Minar]

On Tue, Nov 30, 2004 at 05:46:08PM +0000, Tethys wrote:
> 
> Jan Minar writes:
> 
> >> This E-Mail (and any files transmitted with it) are confidential
> >> and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to
> >> whom they are addressed. If you have received this message
> >> in error please notify the sender and delete the message.
> >
> >While getting a better MUA, You might get a better .signature as well.
> 
> To be fair to Tim, this is probably added automatically, and beyond
> his control. OK, so it's pointless -- it *is* addresses to me. Were
> it not, there's no way it could have ended up in my inbox. That's
> how SMTP works. I also haven't received it in error. It was, after
> all, addressed to me. Automated disclaimers like this are problematic
> anyway. Try sending a config file via email. It's unlikely to work too
> well with a disclaimer added to the bottom.
> 
> But try convincing the lawyers. I failed here. The sole saving grace is
> that I don't currently have the manpower to implment an autoappending
> signature. Even that will change in time...

(The following doesn't apply that much to the particular .sig of Tim's,
rather to this breed of .sigs in general; the Tim's one is relatively
harmless.)

These .sigs are evil.  I have whatever rights I have under the ... well
... you Brits don't have a constitution, do you ;-), and *appending* a
fineprint that's going to be read *after* the actual body (any bottom-up
readers here?) is nonsensical, and has no legal merit.  It wouldn't have
any merit even if it was filling the first ten paragraphs, and the
subject, either.  IMO it wouldn't have any merit even as a click-thru
wrapper, unless there was a (possibly implied) mutual agreement about a
validity of such a click-thru.

Disclaimer:
If I receive a message from you, you are agreeing that:
   1. I am by definition, "the intended recipient"
   2. All information in the email is mine to do with as I see fit and make
        such financial profit, political mileage, or good joke as it lends
        itself to. In particular, I may quote it on USENET or the WWW.
   3. I may take the contents as representing the views of your company.
   4. This overrides any disclaimer or statement of confidentiality that may
        be included on your message
   5. You hereby and unconditionally surrenders yourself and your
	firstborn, etc., as detailed in the thread about the Linux World
        Community Grid.

By having read this message, you have agreed to pay me GBP 0.01, no
later than at the social meeting on Thursday.


Wouldn't that drive you mad?
Jan.
--
 )^o-o^|      e-mail : jjminar FastMail FM
 | .v  K      jabber : rdancer at NJS.NetLab.Cz
 `  - .'      phone  : +44(0)7981 738 696
  \ __/Jan    icq    : 345 355 493
 __|o|__Minář irc    : rdancer at IRC.FreeNode.Net
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 240 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mailman.lug.org.uk/pipermail/gllug/attachments/20041130/b8694ebf/attachment.pgp>
-------------- next part --------------
-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug