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I am considering leaving my current employer as the ethics practiced there are not the ones I grew up with (being kind). I have a work email account on my personal iPhone where I have all my prior email messages that I would like to retain access to, as they will tend to prove any point I may need to make re:ethics.

Can the office limit my access to these emails that seem to be resident on my phone? If so, how can I archive them for later viewing?

I am not looking to keep access to the account and use the email for any new messages, I simply want to be able to access messages already received/sent/forwarded, etc...

A few years ago, I had another business email account where I switched departments and lost access to the earlier emails after upgrading my phone (the new phone attempted to access those emails with the earlier ID/Password combo but since it wasn't active, I lost them - although they are still on my Mac.)

I guess my bottom line is, will an Exchange email account work in the same way? The emails I have on the phone presently, will remain on the phone, unless I switch devices? Or can an Exchange server actively limit access to the messages I have already received/sent/forwarded, etc...

I hope I have been clear - thank you all in advance.

Uncle Reggie

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  • SuperUser is not the best place to get this sort of question answered. It's open-ended, doesn't define the precise OSes and programs involved, has legal ramifications, requires more specific information, and of course you can't say more specific information without betraying yourself or your employer. SuperUser is geared towards clear-question, clear-answer tech Q&A. You might find better help at a forum or talking with someone in person who doesn't have anything to do with your employer. Oct 4, 2018 at 21:44

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You need a lawyer's advice plus another job before you leave (or enough savings or enough support from family and friends to stay afloat) . That being said, I won't get into the specifics in this Answer, because it involves legal matters, uncertainty of the programs and platforms you're using, and uncertainty of the security methods of your employer. Of course, you won't be able to ask your employer or IT for assistance.

Don't assume that access getting cut off = you continue to keep the old emails. Instead, intentionally save an external backup file of all of your emails, both Inbox and Sent.

Don't work on just the one platform. Your phone was mentioned, but Android and iOS programs tend to keep small local caches instead of the whole set of your emails. Instead, work on a desktop or laptop, using a standard email program to connect to the email server, download all emails, and make the backup file. Put a date in the filename.

You will need to be certain that your backup contains ALL of the old messages, in their entirety. Also be certain that your backup includes the whole message and also attachments, not just headers. Frequently, email programs will load just the headers by default, and load the rest of the message online when requested. Instead, you will need the whole thing.

Also, it sounds like you have multiple addresses. Make separate backups of all of them.

Depending on how long you stay with the employer, you might make weekly backups. If you find yourself there too long, ask yourself if you're protecting yourself, or getting dirt on someone else.

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