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 to multiple people. The messages are never sent in the normal way.
Foldering is sometimes described as a digital equivalent of the dead drop.

History

Foldering was reportedly used by al-Qaeda at least as early as 2005, and also by drug cartels.

Notable cases

In 2012, David Petraeus was reported to have used foldering to communicate with Paula Broadwell.
In June 2018, Greg Andres cited Paul Manafort's use of foldering as evidence that Manafort engaged in deceptive behaviours.

Depictions in popular culture

Foldering was depicted in the movie Traitor.