E-mail? What e-mail

New tech lends self to murky morality
By Matthew Lysiak
Special to amNew York

If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain, then a new product may be for you.

That's because for professionals looking for workplace discretion and cheaters searching for a forbidden rendezvous, new technology may make life a little easier.

The new innovation, which lets senders cover up unwanted tracks, is being marketed by Bigstring.com and is on the verge of becoming the first mainstream innovation to hit e-mail in years, especially for a consumers looking for privacy.

"Now with increased storage, your e-mails can last 40 to 50 years and our job is to serve as an automatic paper shredder to help people regain control over their information," said Darin Myman, CEO of BigString. "It is up to the individuals how they want to use it, but with divorces on the rise, how many people do you know want to see those e-mails read in court."

Myman cited high profile e-mail blunders from Charlie Sheen to Vanessa Hudgens as reasons why haunting old e-mails are firmly imbedded in the public psyche.

But by handing the author total outbox control that lets e-mail senders destroy or change messages after they're sent, Myman has also tapped into a lucrative, albeit awkward-to-advertise, market.

That's because up to 37 percent of men and 22 percent of women admit to having affairs, the majority of which are e-mail savvy and regularly visit chat rooms, according to self-proclaimed "infidelity expert" Ruth Houston. She believes the new feature will add yet another tool in the arsenal of cheaters.

"The Internet has quickly become the number one place where spouses cheat," Houston said.

Just ask Myman, who said the idea was inspired when his friend's infidelity was exposed during a divorce hearing. Myman said after the cheating e-mails were used by his wife against him, the idea was hatched.

But cheaters better not feel too secure because they are often exposed during the cover-up.

"A lot of times cheaters go overboard trying to hide," said Houston, adding that discovery of a new e-mail account may lead to suspicions. "Spouses tend to understand that a person who has nothing to hide, hides nothing."