Stupid email disclaimers – they just won’t die

Every day I get email messages with really stupid disclaimers at the bottom. Some of the worst are from vendors that are sending me information or invites to events.

Stupid email disclaimers seem to have come into vogue in or about 2001 or so.  Many people, myself included, thought that this would be just a passing fad, and folks would realize how stupid these make you and your organization appear to rational people.

Hah. Nope.  Obviously too much faith in humanity going on here.

The folks at goldmark.org did a collection of these, and why they are stupid, back in 2001.  The Register, Slashdot and Slate also took pokes at the topic. Sadly, it appears that rational thought has given up and just decided to accept the status quo.

Disclaimers should have died a decade ago.

Starting this week, I’m going to post some of these disclaimers. The stupid, it burns. I’m torn on whether or not to release the company names with the disclaimers. Vote it he comments, if you dare.

Confidentiality Note: This e-mail, and any attachment to it, contains privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity named on the e-mail. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that reading it is strictly prohibited (emphasis added). If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately return it to the sender and delete it from your system. Thank you.

So, I’m prohibited from reading the email, to get to the bottom disclaimer to find out that I’m prohibited from reading the email?

Yup, you’re a vendor I’m adding to the blacklist, for excessive stupid. If every email your company sends looks like this, I wonder what your service contracts look like? Do you even have competent lawyers?