An email security company says that it has launched a UK campaign to use humour to raise awareness among solicitors and barristers of the risks in sending confidential information over email.
An email string between the Partners of fictitious firm, Barton Barton Barton & Barton, landed in email in boxes of legal firms across the UK from Fresh Skies, suppliers of email encryption tool mkryptor. The emails dramatise the sort of mishap that can occur when proper email security is not used. They also provide an entertaining scenario of ‘backside covering’ and bravado that a number of members of the legal industry (who wish to remain anonymous) reflect on as sounding “alarmingly familiar.”
A series of six mini hints and tips videos depict the unfortunate scenarios where Barton must brief his barrister about yet another breach in email security. Mkryptor creators Fresh Skies hope that the tribulations of Messrs Barton will provide legal people with some entertaining but important information to keep them from going before a judge.
The scenarios include forwarding work emails to personal email accounts, using the autocomplete address function resulting in emails going to the wrong person, the myth surrounding confidentiality disclaimers, and reasonable care. All scenarios that could have been avoided by using email encryption software.
Email security is a very serious issue, says Simon Freeman, CEO of Fresh Skies: “So serious that most companies don’t want to think about it until it is too late. We see a lot of legal firms satisfy themselves in terms of email security by ‘acting as responsibly as others’ or worse, by simply adding a disclaimer to emails. When they find out how easy email encryption is, today, then firms move quickly to secure their email.”
The campaign has been devised by creative agency, Advokator, to bring a lighter note to a serious subject. Steve Barton, CEO of Advokator said: “Lawyers can laugh. I have seen it, first hand!” On a more serious note, Steve added: “Lawyers are serious people, with serious jobs. They are focussed on their client needs and the law. That doesn’t leave much time for email security. But they need to make time for it. Or, they could play a role in creating problems for their clients. We used humour to cut through and make it easier for lawyer to spend some time thinking about email security.” Go to www.mkryptor.com.
