Have you ever passed by a co-worker's unattended computer and considered peeking at her e-mails? Or thought it would be a funny prank to figure out your friend's e-mail password and break into his work account?

What may seem like a practical joke or a harmless, furtive glance actually could land you in hot water. It could get you fired or even charged with a federal crime. Computer World reports that the recent case of a Philadelphia TV news anchor charged with breaking into his co-anchor's e-mail account shines a light on the seriousness of such snooping. And while Lawrence Mendte, the news anchor at CBS affiliate KYW-TV took his e-mail snooping to an extreme, security analysts and lawyers say seemingly simple actions can quickly turn into criminal matters. And the problem is that people often don't realise that breaking into or surreptitiously eyeing a colleague's e-mail actually is a crime.
Full Computer World report