By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

A Spanish office worker has been jailed for two years after he “hacked” into the computer of his ex-boss, retrieved hundreds of emails that the man had deleted and then sent them on to lots of other people.

The emails were said to be “highly personal” and contained details such as the man’s sex life.   But they then found their way to people such as the ex-boss’s wife, mistress, former colleagues and even the Mayor!

As well as the two year jail term, the villain was also ordered to pay a fine of €3,240 ($4,820) as well as €4,000 ($5,950) in compensation to the former Pointy-Haired Boss, whose reputation – and marriage – must be in tatters by now.

The case was able to be brought to court because of Spain’s strict privacy laws.   So as soon as the first email went out, the office worker was in deep doo-doo.   Never mind the fact that he hacked his way in.   They got him on the privacy violations instead.

A bit like getting Al Capone on tax violations instead of the gangster-related charges.    It’s always the little things that bring these people down.

Moral Of The Story – When you think the compromising email is deleted, perhaps it’s really not.  Check again!