Cc and Bcc are much older than email. They come from the era of typed business letters, when offices used carbon paper to create extra copies while typing.
Cc means carbon copy. A typist could place carbon paper between sheets, then produce the original letter and one or more copies at the same time. If a manager or another department received a copy, the letter might note that with a line such as Cc: Sales Manager.
Bcc means blind carbon copy. This was a copy sent to someone without the main recipient being told. In modern email, that idea stayed the same: people in the Bcc field receive the message, but other recipients do not see their addresses.
- Cc in email: used when someone should be informed, for example, copying a supervisor on a project update.
- Bcc in email: used when privacy matters, for example, sending a notice to many people without sharing everyone’s addresses.
Email changed the technology, but it kept the old office terms. That is why two common email labels are really leftovers from the age of typewriters and paper copies.