Many employees are under the impression that their right to personal privacy extends to the workplace. These people may be surprised at just how widespread employee monitoring truly is. And when it comes to employee privacy, the innocent looking machine on your desk is the single greatest threat. A survey from amanet.org indicates that 76% of employers monitor websites visited, 50% review computer files, and 55% store and review emails. The same article claims that about one quarter of companies have fired someone for improperly using the Internet. The reality is that current laws do not prevent your employer from using various methods of employee monitoring - even without your knowledge. Whenever employers’ actions have been challenged in U.S. courts, the law has almost always found in favour of the company. The general consensus is that the organization not only owns all of the equipment used to complete the work, but effectively the 8+ hours of time you spend there each day.
Any kind of computer monitoring is complex, costly, and can impact company morale; so why are organizations eager to do it? In the information age, a single mouse click – whether intentional or not – can cost a company millions. We also live at a time when lawsuits from things such as sexual harassment, liability, or unethical activity can be equally as damaging. While these may be extreme cases, the combination of the incredible convenience and relative permanence of electronic communication has made it goldmine for corporate lawyers.
So what can you do to resist this kind of privacy invasion at work? The first step, of course, is to find out what your company will admit to. They aren’t actually required to disclose most types of monitoring, but there may be a written or unwritten policy that covers it. If you’re still losing sleep over this, we present a few ideas that should appeal to range of people including the mildly concerned and the truly paranoid. Oh and we’re not responsible if your attempts at subverting Big Brother land you a very private, but very unemployed life.
Company Sponsored Spyware
There are hundreds of products on the market designed to provide as much information about your computer habits as your boss feels he deserves. These things include periodic screenshots, webpage and application logs, and even keystroke recording. A great way to feed your anxiety is to read how these products are pitched to your superiors. The following are actual quotes listed as features of this type of software:
“Record the user's every move.”
“When [the] user types any keystrokes… this text appears on your screen in real time.”
“Stealth/Silent installation and invisible running.”
And my personal favourite:
“While some employees may not appreciate having their personal internet time monitored and limited, most employees ultimately are glad to have this temptation eliminated or reduced.”
It’s a good thing this company knows exactly what you and I want.
Even the most hardworking employee will occasionally have to do a little online banking on their lunch break or fire off a personal email on their way out the door. When one of these programs is installed, the common employee has no control over where this information is potentially sent (picture a snooping IT manager chuckling at the pet name your wife just called you). These programs are designed to be difficult to detect and disable, but you’ll find some help from the software on this list of anti-spyware tools.
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