E-Mail and Your Privacy

A recent article by Jonathan D. Glater titled "Open Secrets: A Company Computer and Questions About E-Mail Privacy" reminded me of a time when I worked for a corporation and how I felt uncomfortable with those inter-office forwards; you know, the jokes or links to videos that have nothing to do with work that end up in your e-mail queue. Then there were the guilt-induced forwards that gave serious warning that I wouldn’t get a windfall of promised money if the email were not forwarded to ten or more friends. Now, even though I work for myself, I still somehow find myself included on those forwards. However, just as I’d done when I worked for someone else, I usually hit the delete button. I just don’t have time to get to the punch line.

The aforementioned article, though, weighed in on the topic with a bit more gravity. It wasn’t about employees wasting time by reading forwards, but rather how some companies read their employees’ private emails by tapping into their personal accounts. In part, here is what the article says:

The law governing e-mail communications is still evolving. Generally, courts have found that employers can monitor employees’ e-mail communications on company computers. But courts have also recognized greater privacy protection for e-mail messages sent using personal, Web-based e-mail accounts.

The Internet is muddling its way through legalities, since it’s still a relatively new phenomenon, but some companies feel they have the right to observe everything an employee does on the company’s computer, even if it’s from the employee’s personal account. Without a doubt we need to be more vigilant in this “Big Brother” world, but meanwhile, I suggest sending those personal emails from your home computer to be on the safe side.