Should Justin Ellsworth's Parents have been given access to his email?
The short answer to this question is No. Justin’s parents had no right to see his
emails. Email is kind of a private thing. Sure the person(s) you email know you are
emailing them. But no one else knows who you are emailing. There are thoughts you
put to paper that sometimes you cannot express. Sometimes those thoughts are private to
you and the recipient. There are sometimes secrets you have that you don’t want anyone
to know. His parents took advantage of the fact that he no longer had a say on who could
be the recipients of his emails.
I believe Yahoo took the appropriate action when they denied his family access to
Justin’s email. The company was not in a contract with the family but rather with Justin.
The fact that they needed to get the court involved in this matter should’ve been an
indication that what they were doing just might not be the right thing. I understand they were grieving with the loss of their loved one, but why the need to meddle in any of his affairs? What were they trying to accomplish?
emails. Email is kind of a private thing. Sure the person(s) you email know you are
emailing them. But no one else knows who you are emailing. There are thoughts you
put to paper that sometimes you cannot express. Sometimes those thoughts are private to
you and the recipient. There are sometimes secrets you have that you don’t want anyone
to know. His parents took advantage of the fact that he no longer had a say on who could
be the recipients of his emails.