email signature
Are you liable to your email signature regardless of email address?
<p>This question is related to this <a href="https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/111431/legal-issues-with-previous-employer">case</a>.</p>
<p>As far as I understand, email address (the domain) is like the letterhead. Email sent from an unofficial domain is not official.</p>
<p>For example, if I send an email from my gmail account and sign</p>
<blockquote>
<p>John Doe</p>
<p>President of the United States of America</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Is it still a criminal offense because of being an imposter?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Is it still a criminal offense because of being an imposter?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In some jurisdictions, it could be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud" rel="nofollow noreferrer">fraud</a>.  In the case you link to, key elements of the crime of fraud are missing.  There appears to be no intentional deception, nor improper benefit.  But in general, if someone sends an e-mail message under false pretenses (or any other communication), and thereby gains a benefit (particularly at someone else's expense), then that is likely to be a crime.</p>

<p>Fraud is also a civil tort, but you didn't ask about that.  Still, in the linked circumstances, there does not seem to be any party harmed to the extent that it would be worthwhile to pursue it in court.</p>

<p>As far as I'm aware, there is no law in the world that specifically regulates RFC-5321 style email. Laws are written broader than that, and cover "electronic communication" in a broad sense. Therefore, laws don't deal with the distinction between RFC-5321 <code>From:</code> headers and RFC 3676 signatures.</p>

<p>Judges will look at the whole picture of an actual case, and not at hypothetical cases.</p>
