The purloined letter

Issy-Les-Moulineaux, july 2011.

Thanks to email, one is free from numerous constraints that stand in the snail mail system. From now on, exchanges are faster and more fluid. No need to wait several days before receiving an email : the message and its attached documents are sent in a flash, and even to several addressees without multiplying envelopes and postage stamps. And there is no worry when a received message is empty: it is only a false handling from its sender. It’s so wonderful and transparent that one immediately curses the numerous spams that fill its inbox everyday, or when a addressee finally can not be reached due to a server’s control protocol. On the other hand, when an envelope, covered with a complementary plastic-wrapped envelope, reads “object reached empty to the post office”, one understands that an intermediary stole the content of the package without hamper its course to the expected addressee. Simultaneously, one realizes two others things. First, the ability of a simple plastic-wrapped envelope to avoid the responsibility of an institution as the postal office from any potential complain. Second, the possibility for our beloved emails to be diverted or spied without being aware of it. One is eventually doubtful about the only advantages of the email system…