Q. I notice that some people include a confidentiality and disclaimer notice at the end of their e-mail messages. Is this necessary?

A. As far as I know, there is no legislative requirement for e-mail messages to carry such a warning or notice. However, for good governance and purely out of prudence, the notice may mitigate your exposure to a claim for damages if you sent a mail wrongly to someone.

We all know how easy it is to press the "send" button, and if you use the drop-down list from the Contact folder, it is very easy to make a mistake.

If your e-mail message contains something defamatory, and it is forwarded by the unintended recipient, the disclaimer clause may be able to provide you with some sort of defense against the republication as you would have put the recipient on notice that the mail is confidential and he is not to communicate the mail to a third party.

Also if the mail contains confidential information, the recipient is put on notice that he is not to use the information.

Our expert: Vijai Parwani is a principal partner with Parwani & Co., a Singapore-based law firm.