Employer monitoring of workplace computers is widespread but we are still finding what the legal limitations are for work-from-home employees and individuals who live on site. The monitoring of employee’s internet usage in the workplace is an unchallenged right of employers (Grodinsky, Gumbus, & Lilly, 2010). Monitoring is used to gauge employee productivity and provide feedback on how employees can work more effectively. This also allows employers to monitor the personal use of company owned computers. The estimated cost of 53 million employee’s cyber loafing is $138 billion (Grodinsky, Gumbus, & Lilly, 2010) . The legal ramifications of employee monitoring also include the loss of privacy when it comes to Personally Identifiable Information …show more content…
The Privacy Act helps protect identifiable information about employees that is not related to work such as race, religion, opinions, and personal beliefs. If an employer were to come across this information while monitoring an employee they would be in breach of the Privacy Act of 1988 . This brings up several legal ramifications and opens employers to lawsuits based on discrimination even if the employer was not attempting to discriminate. By monitoring employees internet usage employers will undoubtedly come across PII in the forms of email and personal web history but it is up to them to make sure the information stays secure. Employers who are found to not be in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1988 are subject to penalties and …show more content…
With the correct personal information an individuals can obtain access to others credit scores, bank accounts, email accounts, and various other information that would allow them steal an identity. The keys to preventing identity are to keep all personal information confidential, from credit card numbers to social security number, and to monitor all accounts, from banking to credit scores, for any unusual activity . Any unusual activity should immediately be reported to stop identity thieves from doing more damage.
In 2013, 13.1 million people were fraud victims (Collins-Taylor, 2014). The number of victims of identity theft has increased by 500,000 consumers in the last year yet the actual amount of money stolen has dropped from an all-time high in 2004 of $48 billion to $18 billion in 2003. When identity thieves do successful steal an identity they are three times as likely to use the stolen information to purchase gift cards (Collins-Taylor, 2014), this will allow the thieves to secure more money that is less traceable from individuals than if they were to attempt to open a credit
An employer also should restrict an employee’s access to the internet or access to certain web sites, or prohibit the use of personal work computers. As a result, there is no right to claim privacy against your employer for monitoring or restricting your use of the internet. Having an internal regulation could avoid the personal use of a computer in the workplace, the employers are the owners of the computers, and they are also the owners of the data transmitted to and from the computers, regardless of the source. Another reason that justifies the employer's ability to control the use of the computer in the workplace is the security of their internal systems. Computer systems can be vulnerable to viruses and other types of technological problems if employees are downloading information and Internet programs, or other potentially harmful materials. Security can also be a problem in that employees can violate the company's confidentiality rules. By monitoring the use of the personal Internet, employers can prevent employees from being the means of disseminating confidential information about the company to the
In this particular case, the firm collects a wide variety of information on its employees. For current employees, the focus is through workplace cameras, monitoring internet traffic through workplace computers, GPS tracking on employer vehicles. Prospective employees are analyzed by pre-employment personality tests and background checks. There are certain guidelines as far as what information can be collected and used against an employer. Focusing more on employer monitoring at the workplace would give a better insight on what can and cannot take place. Further, we will look into the risk that employers c...
Part of the allure of the Internet has always been the anonymity it offers its users. As the Internet has grown however, causing capitalists and governments to enter the picture, the old rules are changing fast. E-commerce firms employ the latest technologies to track minute details on customer behavior. The FBI's Carnivore email-tracking system is being increasingly used to infringe on the privacy of netizens. Corporations now monitor their employees' web and email usage. In addition to these privacy infringements, Internet users are also having their use censored, as governments, corporations, and other institutions block access to certain sites. However, as technology can be used to wage war on personal freedoms, it can also be employed in the fight against censorship and invasion of privacy.
Print Lazar, Wendi S. “Limitations to Workplace Privacy: Electronic Investigations and Monitoring” Computer and Internet Lawyer (2012): SIRS. Web. The Web. The Web.
Previously it took a lot of equipment to monitor a person's actions, but now with technology's development and advancement all it requires is a computer. And there are many mediums which can be monitored such as telephones, email, voice mail, and computers.4 People's rights are protected by many laws, but in private businesses there are few laws protecting an individual's rights. 5 As an employee of a company there is an understanding of the amount of monitoring the employer does. The employer has to decide how much monitoring is necessary to satisfy the company needs without damaging the company's employee morale.6 With all the monitoring done by private businesses they are free to violate employee privacy since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights a...
Sometimes there is no middle ground. Monitoring of employees at the workplace, either you side with the employees or you believe management owns the network and should call the shots. The purpose of this paper is to tackle whether monitoring an employee is an invasion of privacy. How new technology has made monitoring of employees by employers possible. The unfairness of computerized monitoring software used to watch employees. The employers desire to ensure that the times they are paying for to be spent in their service is indeed being spent that way. Why not to monitor employees, as well as tips on balancing privacy rights of employees at the job.
The world erupted in outrage following revelations by Edward Snowden regarding the extent of surveillance perform by the National Security Agency. Privacy becomes one of the hottest topic of 2013 and was chosen by the world’s most popular online dictionary, Dictionary.com, as the Word of the Year. However, the government is not the only one that conduct data gathering and surveillance. Employers often monitor their employees, and businesses collect data on theirs customer. The morality of these practices is a topic that generates heated debate.
Most companies today make employees sign what is called a Privacy Act. One main thing that pertains to this privacy act that is not said word for word is that the employer can look at anything they want and when they want that pertains to you on their company networks. There are a lot of reasons why this is allowed. New Technology today is outstanding on all the things inside a business that they can look at. Computer programs make is possible for the employer to look at exactly you are looking at or writing while you are looking at it or writing what ever you may be writing. Employers are also capable of obtaining phone records and verifying who you may have called, for how long, and sometimes even listen to the conversation. "Employers have not only a moral but a legal obligation to recognize certain employee rights." (Arthur, 1989). With all of this in mind, employers do have certain laws that they must pertain to in order to invade your privacy. Such laws, as the USA Patriot Act, which states individuals are guaranteed access to many government files pertaining to themselves, and the agencies of government that maintain such files are prohibited from disclosing personal information except under court order and certain other limited circumstances.
An employer’s right to monitor employee computer use is granted by three exceptions to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. The first, called the business exception, gives employers the right to intercept communication on qualified devices during business. The second, the consent exception, allows employers to monitor communication if at least one individual gives their consent. And third, the service provider exception lets employers access information stored on wire or electronic communication systems they provide, such as email or voicemail, to protect their property rights.
Saleh, Z. (2013). The impact of identity theft on perceived. Journal of Internet Banking & Commerce, 18(2), 1-11. Retrieved from http://www.arraydev.com/commerce/jibc/
Have you ever received a credit card bill at the end of the month with a ridiculous amount of money needed to be paid that you never spent? This is because of identity theft. The FTC estimates that each year, over 9 million people are affected by identity theft. According to Sally Driscoll, this is because almost anyone with a computer and a slight bit of computer knowledge can pull off identity theft. Experts also claim that identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the world. Identity theft is a global problem that cannot be stopped without effective measures. The problem is, effective measures are very hard to come by when dealing with identity theft because almost any security protocol can be by-passed.
III. Thesis Statement: Identity Theft is rapidly becoming a national issue because anyone of us could be a victim of identity theft. How we protect our self, keep our information private, identify any signs of identity theft, and report and repair our credit is up to each one of us. We have to be vigilant about our protecting ourselves from criminals.
My workplace is government-owned. The government employers require notified employees that the organization check and watch employees' use of the e-mail /Internet. For example, upon accepting employment with the federal government, the federal government notified that the person that there is monitoring of the Email/Internet usage. The monitoring covers the telephone, co...
But, these laws always changing, depending on the work setting or policies set by any specific organizations. Because there are so many different work environments, each claim of privacy has to be evaluated based on the actual conditions of the workplace (Smith & Burg, 2015). This is why policies must be set according to the CEO needs. If the organization does not allow the use of the internet for any personal use, than the employee must follow such guidelines. This eliminates employee privacy right violations, because the policy will informs them of the monitoring during the hiring
Identity theft is a non ethical criminal offence. It is when someone gathers someone’s personal information and uses it against them. Fraudsters usually get a hold of personal information using three methods: information given away, offline methods and online methods. People commit this crime for many different reasons, but they all have one common goal of using some else’s identity to their advantage. There are many different type of identity thefts, which are categorized on what the criminal is using the identity for. Having said all of this, identity is a crime that can cause a lot of finical and reputation damage to the victim and that is why it is important to prevent it. Identity theft can be prevented if everybody knows exactly what it is and what they can do to keep their identity safe.