My daytime job is doing freelance work for a publishing company. They have recently instituted a new warning that is displayed at the bottom of all communications with their employees. This is what the warning reads:

The information contained in this message is intended only for the recipient, and may be a confidential attorney-client communication or may otherwise be privileged and confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, please be aware that any dissemination or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify us by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. The M_____ Companies, Inc. reserves the right, subject to applicable local law, to monitor and review the content of any electronic message or information sent to or from M_____ employee e-mail addresses without informing the sender or recipient of the message.

I’m sure we all know that companies are reading our emails, so that should come as no shock to anyone. The part that gets me are these lines - If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, please be aware that any dissemination or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify us by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer.

First of all, I love their claim that forwarding an email that is sent to you by mistake is “strictly prohibited.” It’s not illegal, mind you. There is no law anywhere that would prevent you from forwarding an email. It is just “strictly prohibited.” I guess they must mean “according to some voluntary code of ethics,” since no such law exists. I am also mightily impressed that they feel it is within their rights to demand that this accidental email recipient delete the accidental email and alert the company immediately. If the recipient refuses to do so, he or she may face “unintended consequences” such as “nonbinding declarations” or “noninvasive repercussions”.