So let's talk about email.

[cascadiance]

5. sendmail that is used to send mail doesn't just have messages stored on the destination host...

Sendmail, a UNIX process that sends mail between machines, first sends it from the host that often sends mail to an interim "relay" host (and these in older days could be multiple relay hosts that it cascaded through), and then gets sent to a destination host where the destination computer pulls its mail from, if it's not the same machine. So though mail is likely only stored permanently on the destination host, it is forwarded and lives in files on other machines while in transit. Depending on how these relay hosts are configured, they could also be looking or saving off the mail too, though that isn't done normally. My guess is that having her own domain used to host email let Clinton configure more where the relay hosts were that in between her and her own computer that she could have controlled more too.

Perhaps the reporter is thinking that relay hosts typically quickly delete mail messages after they are forwarded and validated as sent to their destination to say that normally such mail isn't and not easily "backed up" on one of these relay hosts, which he might have interpreted as mail that "couldn't be backed up". But it really is dependent on how these rely hosts are configured.

I suspect some of these government relay hosts may be configured to store off such mail for the NSA in ways we perhaps aren't publicly aware of that perhaps has sophisticated analysis software scanning such emails that do quick notifications to who knows who for their spying activities. Now one would like to think that if it is just regular email sent/received by people not officially on surveillance, that at most the files are just saved off and not scanned immediately and only looked at later if there's a valid court order from FISA or some other court to do so for certain individuals. But we don't really know. And evidently many like Hillary Clinton, and even Dianne Feinstein who is a fan of government spying, but didn't like hearing that she was being spied on in recent senate statements responding to the Snowden inquiries, are afraid of them being spied on without being under suspicion for anything, and by people working against their interests, perhaps in improper fashion as well.

I think word is out, though not very public to the rest of us, that many congress people and other government officials are looking for private email solutions to avoid this kind of potential spying on them. They don't want to make this widely public outside of their circle, since it will likely have the PTB behind some of what is likely unethical spying activity respond with blackmail using data that they know about these targets through their spying activities.

This in my mind is far more important to tackle at this point, and I'm more inclined to believe that this is the source of why Hillary Clinton privatizing her email rather than anything that unethical in her emails themselves. Now some of the emails may be more exposing of her agenda that she publicly acknowledges that many of us who are concerned about them being more corporatist in nature might dislike if we were able to hear about them, but I suspect there isn't anything there that is her committing any real criminal acts.

As long as there aren't any concerns supported by evidence that might have the NSA working with a warrant to spy on her actively, or others like her, she and others should feel secure in how they communicate with others through private email, even if some of those mail contents have data that reflects opinions and plans, etc. that may be legal, etc. but what many in the public don't like. If people using mail validly and not engaged in illegal or unethical conduct as public servants, then they should feel secure in what they are doing from scrutiny by others that want to for political or other unjustified purposes try to expose what could be sensitive emails from foreign leaders, etc. for their own personal gain.

If people in government service feel that they have to use private email to engage in normal communications in ways that its privacy isn't abused, then there is something wrong, and that should the number one problem that we all look to resolve in these email controversies. That problem isn't personalized to Hillary Clinton or any other single politician, but a general one and the way the system is set up that needs fixing. If this is the problem, then someone who's aware of it who speaks up about it and speaks out on the need to fix this is the kind of person I want to look at voting for higher leadership in our country. That person is someone that wants to help shelter those that work properly for us, and not shelter those that would use our infrastructure for corrupt purposes and criminal activities.

And who watches the watchers is critical in this equation in my book.