[tibbon]

Do government employees have an assumption that their work communications are kept private and there is no/little recourse as to what they say in them?

I always figure that at work 100% of what I write can be read by the entire company, and that I will be held accountable for anything I say/do even if I have the best intentions in mind. If I say in an email something unfavorable or slanderous about another company's CEO, and it gets out, then I must face the consequences.

It seems that American government employees and diplomats have another expectation of privacy and consequence to what they say/do.

[GHFigs]

If I say in an email something unfavorable or slanderous about another company's CEO, and it gets out, then I must face the consequences.

The key difference here is that making honest assessments about the character of foreign government officials is part of the job description for diplomats.

[tibbon]

Agreed- If the assessments are honest and unbiased, then I think few will mind them- although world leaders are known to have overinflated egos and not tolerate any critique well.

Some jobs have risks associated with them. This is one of them. Time and time again our government has told us that we are made safer by having less privacy, but now when it comes to the government having less privacy, they don't like that feeling.

In either case- why wouldn't what is said and done by diplomats carry consequence? Politicians always talk about responsibility and accountability. This seems to be a ripe time for it.