Final answer:
Transactional emails are used to provide information to customers about their interactions with a company. Universities, like the one mentioned, use fake phishing emails as part of their security training to ensure employees are cautious with email communications. This critical engagement aligns with experts' views on the impact of our choices on future outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transactional emails are indeed emails that are sent to provide information and keep customers informed. These emails are usually the result of an action taken by the user, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, and could include order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets, and more. The objective of these emails is to communicate relevant information to the customer regarding their transactions or interactions with a company or service.
In line with this, university IT departments sending fake phishing emails to staff is an educational strategy aimed at improving digital literacy and fostering a culture of security. This initiative emphasizes the importance of being vigilant and critical readers of emails, in order to avoid falling victim to real phishing attacks which may compromise personal and institutional data.
Expert opinion often supports this preventative approach. For instance, according to science writer Elizabeth Kolbert, our choices significantly impact future outcomes. In the context of email security, the choices we make regarding how to respond to and manage our emails can determine whether our personal and professional information pathways remain secure or are compromised.