Ever send an e-mail on your corporate account that you regret sending? Ever think that deleting it from your local folder or from the server will save you from Legal’s wrath?

Don’t.

Apparently the Feds have software that can detect several layers of deletion, which is worse than you might think. Let’s say I send an e-mail to Peter saying “You’re dumb and no one likes you.” Then I write another e-mail saying “You smell funny,” but don’t actually send it; it just stays on my computer in the draft folder. Then I delete it. Well, Johnny Law will see that I wrote it, then deleted it. They’ll see my thought process, then throw my in prison for harassing Peter.

The moral is, if you’re going to harass your co-workers, do it in person or over the phone. It’s a little harder to trace that way.

GCs to Employees: Think Before You Send [Law.com via Slashdot]