In today’s digital world, email has become an integral part of both personal and professional communication.
As we exchange sensitive information via email, it’s crucial to ensure that confidential data remains protected.
That’s where email confidentiality disclaimers come into play.
These short but important statements at the end of your emails can help safeguard private information and limit your liability.
But what exactly should a confidentiality disclaimer say?
How can you craft one that effectively conveys your message while covering all the necessary legal bases?
In this article, we’ll explore 20 sample email confidentiality disclaimers that you can use as inspiration or templates for your emails.
Let’s discover how to keep your email communications secure and confidential.
Sample Email Confidentiality Disclaimers
The following sample emails showcase various confidentiality disclaimers you can adapt to your needs.
1. Standard Confidentiality Notice
Subject: Q3 Financial Reports
Dear Team,
Attached you will find the Q3 financial reports for your review. Please take a look and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I’d like to schedule a meeting next week to discuss these in more detail and strategize for Q4.
Best regards,
John
Confidentiality Notice: The information contained in this email and any attachments is confidential and intended solely for the use of the named recipient(s). If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this email from your system. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution of this email is strictly prohibited.
2. Proprietary Information Warning
Subject: New Product Designs
Hi Sarah,
I wanted to share the latest product designs with you for feedback. These designs incorporate the changes we discussed in our last meeting and I think they’re coming together nicely. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. I’m particularly interested in your opinion on the color schemes and overall layout.
Thanks,
Mike
Proprietary Information Warning: The designs attached to this email are the proprietary information of XYZ Company and are intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this email and then delete this email and any attachments from your system.
3. Legally Privileged Communication
Subject: Contract Review
Dear Mr. Johnson,
As requested, I have reviewed the contract you sent over. I have made some suggested changes and added comments explaining my rationale. Please review these changes carefully and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. If you’re amenable to these changes, I’ll go ahead and draft a clean version of the contract for final review and signature.
Sincerely,
Lisa
Legally Privileged Communication: This email message and any attachments are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
4. No Liability for Errors
Subject: Updated Sales Figures
Hi Team,
Please find attached the updated sales figures for last month. There have been some significant changes since the preliminary report, so please disregard the previous figures. If you notice any discrepancies or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Cheers,
Amy
No Liability for Errors: While we have taken every precaution to ensure the accuracy of the information in this email and attachments, we cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions. The recipient should verify the information before acting upon it.
5. Not for Distribution Warning
Subject: Confidential: New Marketing Strategy
Dear Marketing Team,
Attached is the outline for our new marketing strategy. This document contains sensitive information about our plans for the upcoming product launch. Please review it carefully and come prepared to discuss at our meeting on Wednesday. Remember, this information is not to be shared outside of the marketing department until we have finalized the details.
Looking forward to your input,
Tom
Not for Distribution Warning: The information contained in this message is intended only for the confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may not be distributed, copied, or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of the sender. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and deleting it from your computer.
6. Confidential and Proprietary Notice
Subject: Client Proposal
Hi Jenn,
I’ve been working on the proposal for our new client and wanted to get your feedback before I send it over to them. I’ve attached the draft here. Please take a look and let me know if you think there’s anything I should add, remove, or change. I want to make sure we’re putting our best foot forward.
Thanks in advance,
Steve
Confidential and Proprietary Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and proprietary information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
7. Protected Under Attorney-Client Privilege
Subject: Legal Advice Regarding Patent Dispute
Dear Mr. Rodriguez,
I have researched the patent dispute you mentioned and have outlined my legal advice in the attached document. Please review it carefully and let me know if you have any questions. I recommend we schedule a call to discuss the next steps in more detail. Please be aware that this document and any communication related to it are protected under attorney-client privilege.
Best regards,
Jennifer
Protected Under Attorney-Client Privilege: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you have received this email by error please notify the sender immediately by return email and delete this email from your system. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute, or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.
8. Private and Confidential Communication
Subject: Employee Performance Review
Dear Sarah,
As discussed in our meeting last week, I’ve prepared your annual performance review. The attached document outlines your strengths, areas for improvement and goals for the coming year. Please take some time to read through it and let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss any part of it further. Remember, this is a private and confidential communication between you and the management team.
Best, Mark
Private and Confidential Communication: The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.
9. Not for Reproduction or Retransmission
Subject: Competitive Analysis Report
Hi Team,
Attached is the competitive analysis report I’ve been working on. It contains detailed information about our main competitors, their strategies, and how we can position ourselves to gain market share. Please review it and come prepared to discuss it at our strategy meeting next Tuesday. As always, this information is sensitive and not for reproduction or retransmission outside our team.
Thanks,
Lisa
Not for Reproduction or Retransmission: The contents of this email and any attachments are not for reproduction or retransmission. They are intended for the named recipients only. If this email has been sent to you in error, you must take no action based on it, nor must you copy or show it to anyone; please reply to this email and highlight the error.
10. Security Reminder and Disclaimer
Subject: Important Security Updates
Dear All,
I wanted to send a quick reminder about the importance of keeping our systems and data secure. Attached are some updated security guidelines that everyone needs to review and adhere to. This includes information about creating strong passwords, identifying phishing attempts, and properly handling sensitive data.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
IT Department
Security Reminder and Disclaimer: The sender of this email is not responsible for any changes made to this message after it has been sent. While we have taken reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email, the company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachments.
11. For Your Eyes Only
Subject: Confidential: Upcoming Organizational Changes
Dear Executive Team,
I wanted to give you a heads-up about some upcoming organizational changes. The attached document outlines the restructuring plan that we will be implementing over the next quarter. This information is highly confidential and for your eyes only at this stage. We will be announcing these changes to the rest of the organization next month.
Please review the plan and come prepared to discuss it at our executive meeting next week.
Regards,
Jennifer
For Your Eyes Only: The information contained in this email and any attachments is strictly confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.
12. Restricted Use Notification
Subject: New Client Onboarding Documents
Hi Amanda,
I’ve prepared the onboarding documents for our new client. These include the contract, NDA, and project timeline. Please review and let me know if anything needs to be changed before I send them over to the client for signature.
Best,
Tom
Restricted Use Notification: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.
13. Caution: External Recipient
Subject: Partnership Proposal
Dear Mr. Johnson,
Thank you for your interest in partnering with our company. I have attached a proposal that outlines the potential partnership terms and benefits. Please review it and let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss further.
I look forward to the possibility of working together.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Caution: External Recipient: This email and any attachments are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. As this email is being sent to an external recipient, please be cautious when opening attachments or clicking on links from unknown senders.
14. Authorized Personnel Only
Subject: Confidential: HR Matter
Dear HR Team,
I need your assistance with a sensitive employee matter. The details are outlined in the attached document. Please handle this with the utmost confidentiality as it involves personal information. Only authorized HR personnel should have access to this information.
Please let me know how you would like to proceed.
Thanks,
Mark
Authorized Personnel Only: The information contained in this email is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful.
15. Email and Attachment Confidentiality
Subject: Q2 Budget Proposal
Hi Mike,
Attached is the budget proposal for Q2. I’ve included a breakdown of anticipated expenses and revenue projections. Please review and provide your feedback. Let’s schedule a time to go over this in more detail and make any necessary adjustments before presenting it to the leadership team.
Thanks,
Amy
Email and Attachment Confidentiality: This email message and any attachments are confidential, may be privileged, and are intended for the exclusive use of the addressee. Any other person is strictly prohibited from disclosing, distributing, copying, or taking any action in reliance on the contents. If you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender and delete the material from all computers.
16. Encryption Recommended
Subject: Sensitive Client Data
Dear Team,
I’ve attached the files containing our client’s sensitive data. Please handle this with extreme care and ensure it is properly secured. I recommend encrypting these files before storing or transmitting them.
If you have any questions about how to properly handle this data, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Best regards,
Lisa
Encryption Recommended: The content of this email is confidential and intended for the recipient specified in the message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without the written consent of the sender. If you received this message by mistake, please reply to this message and follow with its deletion, so that we can ensure such a mistake does not occur in the future. The sender recommends encrypting any sensitive information before transmitting it via email.
17. Advice Disclaimer
Subject: Recommendations for New Software
Hi John,
As requested, I’ve researched some options for new accounting software. Based on our needs and budget, I recommend we consider either QuickBooks or Xero. I’ve attached a comparison of the features and pricing for each.
Please keep in mind, that this is just my initial recommendation based on the information I have. You should carefully evaluate your options before making a final decision.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Cheers,
Steve
Advice Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this email are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the company. Any advice or recommendations contained in this email are based on the author’s best judgment and should be carefully evaluated by the recipient before acting upon them.
18. Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property
Subject: New Product Development
Dear R&D Team,
Exciting news! We’ve gotten the green light to start development on our new product line. Attached are the initial design specs and requirements. As we move forward with this project, please remember that all information related to the development of this product is considered a trade secret and the intellectual property of our company.
If you have any questions or need additional resources, please let me know.
Looking forward to seeing what we create!
Best,
Jennifer
Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property: This email message, including any attachments, contains trade secrets and intellectual property of [Company Name], and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or use of this email or its contents is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy of this email and any printout thereof.
19. Compliance with Data Protection Laws
Subject: Important: Data Protection Policy Updates
Dear All,
As part of our ongoing commitment to data protection and privacy, we have updated our data protection policy. The updated policy, attached to this email, outlines how we collect, use, and protect personal data in compliance with applicable data protection laws such as GDPR and CCPA.
Please review the updated policy carefully. If you have any questions, please reach out to our data protection officer.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Management
Compliance with Data Protection Laws: This email and any attachments are sent in compliance with applicable data protection laws. The information contained herein is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager and delete the message and any attachments from your system.
20. Environmentally Conscious Disclaimer
Subject: Quarterly Sustainability Report
Hi Team,
Attached is our quarterly sustainability report, outlining our progress towards our environmental goals. I’m happy to report that we’ve made significant strides in reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our use of renewable energy.
Please review the report and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for how we can continue to improve.
Thanks for your commitment to sustainability,
Tom
Environmentally Conscious Disclaimer: Please consider the environment before printing this email. This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute, or copy this email. Please notify the sender immediately by email if you have received this email by mistake and delete this email from your system. The sender also hereby notifies you that any use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of the content of this email and its attachments for purposes other than what it was intended for is strictly prohibited.
Wrapping Up: Email Confidentiality Disclaimers
Email confidentiality disclaimers are essential tools for protecting sensitive information and limiting liability in our digital communications.
By using clear, concise, and legally sound disclaimers, you can ensure that your emails and attachments are treated with the appropriate level of confidentiality and care.
The 20 sample disclaimers provided in this article cover a wide range of situations, from general confidentiality notices to specific legal privileges and compliance requirements.
Use these examples as a starting point for crafting your disclaimers, tailored to your unique needs and circumstances.
Remember, while email confidentiality disclaimers are important, they are not a substitute for other security measures such as encryption, secure file sharing, and proper access controls.
Use them as part of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard your sensitive information and maintain the trust of your clients, partners, and colleagues.
By making email confidentiality disclaimers a standard part of your communication practices, you can communicate with confidence, knowing that you’ve taken an important step to protect yourself and your organization in the digital age.