Foldering Explained

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]

See also

• Dead drop
• Tradecraft

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mueller's team accused Manafort of 'foldering,' a technique used by drug cartels and terrorist groups to secretly communicate.
2. Web site: Manafort allegedly used “foldering” to hide emails. Here’s how it works. 15 June 2018.
3. Web site: Paul Manafort accused of 'foldering' to hide communications. 16 June 2018.
4. Web site: Mueller says Manafort used "foldering" as part of his "deception".
5. Web site: Here’s the e-mail trick Petraeus and Broadwell used to communicate. Max. Fisher. 12 November 2012. www.washingtonpost.com.