T&T: E-Mail Security While Cruising

[Jeff Barfett]

SNIP  Here's the
rub.  E-mails and IM's sent to people that primarily use their
computer at work or the laptop is provided by the employer, the
employers are now going to be required by law to keep the messages for
legal reasons.  They have the right, as I understand even before this
to examine content of many of these as we speak.

Many of my comm buddies and friends have separate, personal e-mail
addresses, so that solves the problem of not sending personal e-mails
to work e-mail addresses.  However, if they use the laptop, or phone
PDA, or read those e-mails on their work provided laptop they may well
be read and will be stored by the employer. Where the person is on the
road on a regular basis, it is almost inevitable that they will have
to use the laptop just to make necessary communications with family
and friends.


Reply and Question - is a new law coming on the books that require
corporations to archive all email. My little company was acquired by one of
the big 6 banks and there policy is to delete all email and not keep any
after ninety days! Unless of course directed by HR because of some legal
problem. In fact they don't want any type of documents archived!

The amount of email that goes through a company out strips any IT
department's capability of monitoring email and this goes for web browsing
as well. Usually a manager asks HR to monitor an employee and HR contacts IT
to run some traces.

Companies use a number of rules and systems to keep abuse down. First an
employee manual outlining that you might be terminated for using IT
resources for personal use, proxy servers that keep employees from getting
to a lot of questionable web sites put people on somewhat of a honor system.

Just my experience in this arena.

Jeff on Southern Nights