State's Email System is not Private

-- updated 07/20/2005

AFSA reminds all with access to the Department's e-mail system that you have no expectation whatsoever of privacy. Your e-mails are potentially a mouse click away from being published on the front page of the Washington Post/Washington Times. Last year, several of our colleagues discovered this much to their chagrin, potential damage to their careers and certain damage to the public face of the Foreign Service.

Their e-mails made very unflattering comments about members of Congress. As these messages were forwarded and forwarded again to an ever-widening circle, they ultimately landed in the Inboxes of the Congressmen themselves and the media.

These injudicious e-mails had several seriously damaging effects.

- The Department's leadership had to assure members of Congress that these comments do not represent the Department's opinion of them. The Department publicly stated it does not condone and will not permit this kind of conduct by Department employees.

- Those Congressmen who expressed doubts about the Foreign Service's commitment to serving the country saw these e-mails as confirmation of those sentiments.

- The Foreign Sevice's public image was been seriously damaged. The lead editorial in the July 19th, 2004 Wall Street Journal stated inter alia that "Until {Secretary Powell cleans house}, Congress can be forgiven if it tries to teach American diplomats that their job is to represent American interests."

- Finally, those who sent the e-mails and those who forwarded them with their own equally pungent comments may be subject to discipline.

The Secretary makes the case for us with Congress that we need additional resources to do the job. The Secretary is making the case on the Hill that keeping the Bureau of Consular Affairs in the Department instead of transferring it to the new Department of Homeland Security is in the country's interest. He stated to Congress that "our Consular officers do a great job", that you are "dedicated young men and women around the world" and that we "take our consular responsibilities seriously * to make sure we are doing everything to guard our nation, to guard our people."

It is our job to do our jobs in a fashion that shows the world the Secretary is telling the truth.