The author didn't run the script. The IT staff ran the script, which exported pseudonymized, low resolution data, which the researchers then analyzed. While it

The author didn't run the script. The IT staff ran the script, which exported pseudonymized, low resolution data, which the researchers then analyzed. While it may not seem important, it looks like it was designed so the IT staff -- who have direct access to user emails and therefore the job responsibility maintaining privacy -- provide oversight to help minimize information leaks that an unfirewalled scheme like yours may easily have. Umm, the "27 years" refers to the paper's title, "27 Years and 81 Million Opportunities Later". The paper reports on "the use of email encryption based on 27 years of data". The oldest email in the archive was from 1994. I never mentioned "Why Johnny Still, Still Can't Encrypt" from 6 years ago (footnote #4 on the companion website), only the original paper "Why Johnny Can’t Encrypt: A Usability Evaluation of PGP 5.0" from 1999 (footnote #1). There's also footnote #3, "Why Johnny Still Can’t Encrypt: Evaluating the Usability of Email Encryption Software" from 2006.