Foldering
Foldering is the practice of communicating via messages saved to the "drafts" folder of an email or other electronic messaging account that is accessible by multiple people.[1][2][3][4] The messages are never actually sent.[1][2][3][4]
Foldering has been described as a digital equivalent of a dead drop.[2]
History
Foldering was reportedly used by al-Qaeda at least as early as 2005[2] and it has also been used by drug cartels.[1]
Notable cases
In 2012, David Petraeus was reported to have used foldering to communicate with Paula Broadwell.[2][5]
In June 2018, Greg Andres cited Paul Manafort's use of foldering as evidence that Manafort engaged in deceptive behaviours.[4]
Depictions in popular culture
Foldering was depicted in the movie Traitor (2008).[2] The use of foldering can also be seen in Season 3 of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan.
See also
References
- "Mueller's team accused Manafort of 'foldering,' a technique used by drug cartels and terrorist groups to secretly communicate".
- "Manafort allegedly used "foldering" to hide emails. Here's how it works". 15 June 2018.
- "Paul Manafort accused of 'foldering' to hide communications". 16 June 2018.
- "Mueller says Manafort used "foldering" as part of his "deception"".
- Fisher, Max (12 November 2012). "Here's the e-mail trick Petraeus and Broadwell used to communicate" – via www.washingtonpost.com.