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E-mail Blind Copy (Bcc) Addresses Are Secure

BY STANLEY ZAROWIN

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2006. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

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Key to Instructions
To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we used two different typefaces:

Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs.

Sans serif type shows the names of files and the names of commands and instructions that users should type into the computer.

Can a spammer grab the addresses off an e-mail’s blind copy (Bcc)? Several people in my office insist it can be done.

Rest assured, the claim of insecurity is a legend that pops up from time to time. You can confirm its safety by sending yourself an e-mail (see screenshot below) and include yourself as a Cc (copy) and a Bcc (blind copy).

When it arrives, it looks like this:

When you send a message, names and addresses in the Bcc are automatically stripped out by the sending server (usually the Internet Service Provider) after they are transmitted so they are never available to the recipients.