When it was the telephone – it was called a “party line”, and other “parties” shared the line and occasionally listened in…

 Now everything is sent electronically, but you still want to be mindful of who else may be reading the email or text message string. Your editor was among the recipients of an email exchange a while back wherein it appeared that an attorney had made a subsequently regretted communication, writing “I didn’t mean it...” “I take it back...”. Your editor was also copied on the reply advising that there was nothing to be done. Unfortunately the attorneys used the service list for the case to communicate – and inadvertently broadcast the exchange to all counsel on the case.