Sent emails can self-destruct within 5 seconds.

AT&T's US patent application, numbered 20130159436 titled "Method, System and Device for Self-Destructing Email Messages", has recently been revealed. The application describes the functionality of automatic email deletion within an email client system and server application; users can configure settings so that recipients' emails are automatically deleted after a certain period of time, leaving no trace online. Additionally, users can also customize the management permissions of the email recipients regarding the email, such as whether they can copy, save, or forward the email, etc.