1. A system for allowing an author to encrypt message data and to name one or more encrypted readers in a recipient list who are authorized to decrypt the message data, the system further allowing the author to select one or more roles related to the one or more named encrypted readers, the system comprising: a user interface (UI) module that creates a user interface that is separate from a user interface for specifying recipients of message data of a particular message, and having: one or more fields for receiving data corresponding to a named encrypted reader from the author to identify the named encrypted reader; and one or more fields for receiving data to specify the authorized roles that are associated with a specific encrypted reader, each authorized role defining a relationship of an individual, who is associated with the encrypted reader, relative to the encrypted reader; a directory table having information about the named encrypted readers and role information corresponding to the named encrypted readers; a directory lookup module, connected to the directory table, for looking up the named encrypted readers and the role information corresponding to the named encrypted readers; an associating module for: retrieving, from the directory lookup module, role information corresponding to the named encrypted readers based on a presence of the encrypted reader as a recipient of the message data for the particular message; associating the role information corresponding to the named encrypted readers with the authorized roles; and identifying other encrypted readers associated with the authorized roles, the other encrypted readers having access to the particular message solely based on being associated with one of the authorized roles; an encryption component for encrypting the message data; and a decryption component for decrypting the encrypted message data and allowing the named encrypted readers and the other encrypted readers associated with the authorized roles to access the encrypted message data.