Is email spying sinful?

[ladybugg19]

Besides possibly showing poor form or lack of integrity, is reading someone else’s email without his knowledge actually sinful? If yes, how so? Thank you.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Yes, because it is an unjust invasion of privacy, as is the case with reading any form of private communication including regular postal mail. Even within families, family members ordinarily should not read each other’s mail, although there can be exceptions (e.g., a parent might “help” a small child open his mail and read a letter to him). In the case of email spying, it may even be against civil law. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it (CCC 2489).