BCC for long distribution lists

Do you ever send a message to multiple recipients? Sure you do. Whether it’s a forwarded joke, the URL to the latest YouTube sensation, or some personal news to friends and family, we all do it. It’s one of the efficient benefits of e-mail.

While the standard way to address multiple recipients is to add them to the “To” field, that may not be the best way. When you list all recipients in “To” or “CC”,  every recipient sees the list of recipients. This leaves that list at risk.

Computers infected with viruses and other malware is a growing problem. Many of those computers are infected with programs that search e-mail for addresses. Those addresses are used as targets for spam and other malware, and forged as senders of such illicit mail. When you create a long “To” or “CC” list, you potentially expose your contacts to this abuse.

The alternative is “BCC”, short for Blind Carbon Copy. Addresses in “BCC” cannot be seen by other recipients, and are therefore not exposed.

There may be times, such as planning a business meeting, when you want all recipients to see who else received a message. Some people have mail services that block incoming mail if their address is in “BCC”. If so, adjust accordingly. Otherwise, consider using “BCC” for long lists to protect those addresses.