Today's Wall Street Journal has a follow-up story on the firing of
Boeing's CEO because he had an affair with another employee. Evidence
against him came from company email scanners. The story in and of itself
is very interesting, but a related article might be of greater general
interest.
It seems that the majority of large companies are monitoring e-mail,
using software designed for that purpose that doesn't only scan for
keywords, but other 'more sophisticated' techniques as well. Some
companies even go further, employing people to actually read employee
emails.
So, a general heads up on email. It seems the days where you could
communicate privately are gone.
One semi-loophole is the use of Internet based email services, as
opposed to the company email system, but the article says a good
percentage of companies are tracking this email as well.
It occurs to me that email monitoring probably accounts for a decline in
OT membership. Freedom of speech ain't what it used to be!
Bill
Bill Arnold wrote:
>It seems that the majority of large companies are monitoring e-mail,
>using software designed for that purpose that doesn't only scan for
>keywords, but other 'more sophisticated' techniques as well. Some
>companies even go further, employing people to actually read employee
>emails.
>
>So, a general heads up on email. It seems the days where you could
>communicate privately are gone.
>
>
>
Hi Bill,
I have never thought of email as private. If would never send anything
by email that could be used against you, but it is amazing how many
people will send things that would make your hair stand on end.
All our company emails (in and out) are archived, so that if we have a
dispute with one of our suppliers, we can bring out the emails. New
employees have to sign an IT useage policy, which covers our @rses.
Peter
We scan and archive all email but don't pry unless there is a specific
rule is being broken.
Then again the employee email/web/software rules run to nine pages (all
by yours truly), you aren't however banned from being in groups etc. as
long as it 'does not interfere with you carrying out your responsibilities'.
The trouble with large organizations is that they do everything
automatically with little or no thought that their employees are people
and that a certain lee way improves moral.
Also in the UK there are issues about the data protection act if you
wish to intercept which means we have to state no personal email (or we
would not be able to archive it etc, and how can we tell one from the
other).
Regards
Bill Arnold wrote:
>Today's Wall Street Journal has a follow-up story on the firing of
>Boeing's CEO because he had an affair with another employee. Evidence
>against him came from company email scanners. The story in and of itself
>is very interesting, but a related article might be of greater general
>interest.
>
>It seems that the majority of large companies are monitoring e-mail,
>using software designed for that purpose that doesn't only scan for
>keywords, but other 'more sophisticated' techniques as well. Some
>companies even go further, employing people to actually read employee
>emails.
>
>So, a general heads up on email. It seems the days where you could
>communicate privately are gone.
>
>One semi-loophole is the use of Internet based email services, as
>opposed to the company email system, but the article says a good
>percentage of companies are tracking this email as well.
>
>It occurs to me that email monitoring probably accounts for a decline in
>OT membership. Freedom of speech ain't what it used to be!
>
>
>Bill
>
>
>
[excessive quoting removed by server]
Hi Bill,
The Internet has made it very easy the snooping eyes of big brother, or
anyone else, to intrude into citizens privacy. It is no longer
necessary to use a wire tap with tape recorder to capture private
conversations, as the body of each email servers as the recording of
the email communication. Also, WiFi make it incredible easy for
intruders to steal private information from computers, including cell
phones, like your list of contacts, etc. GPS can also be used to
pinpoint locations of a WiFi notebook computer, or a cell phone, which
usually has its owner attached.
Regards,
LelandJ
Bill Arnold wrote:
>Today's Wall Street Journal has a follow-up story on the firing of
>Boeing's CEO because he had an affair with another employee. Evidence
>against him came from company email scanners. The story in and of itself
>is very interesting, but a related article might be of greater general
>interest.
>
>It seems that the majority of large companies are monitoring e-mail,
>using software designed for that purpose that doesn't only scan for
>keywords, but other 'more sophisticated' techniques as well. Some
>companies even go further, employing people to actually read employee
>emails.
>
>So, a general heads up on email. It seems the days where you could
>communicate privately are gone.
>
>One semi-loophole is the use of Internet based email services, as
>opposed to the company email system, but the article says a good
>percentage of companies are tracking this email as well.
>
>It occurs to me that email monitoring probably accounts for a decline in
>OT membership. Freedom of speech ain't what it used to be!
>
>
>Bill
>
>
>
[excessive quoting removed by server]
On Mar 9, 2005, at 9:09 AM, Bill Arnold wrote:
> Freedom of speech ain't what it used to be!
This, of course, has nothing to do with free speech. You are using
company computers and company software to send messages across company
networks and through company servers. Do you really feel that the First
Amendment requires that the company let everything go through?
Freedom of Speech requires that you have an outlet for your words. It
does not require unrestricted access to every possible outlet.
___/
/
__/
/
____/
Ed Leafe
Come to PyCon!!!! http://www.python.org/pycon/2005/
Leland Jackson wrote:
> GPS can also be used to pinpoint locations of a WiFi notebook
> computer, or a cell phone, which usually has its owner attached.
I was asked about this not too long ago, have anymore details ?
Google has a few companies now with tracker offerings of one sort or
another. Your mobile service provider will probs have something.
Eugene Vital wrote:
> Leland Jackson wrote:
>
>> GPS can also be used to pinpoint locations of a WiFi notebook
>> computer, or a cell phone, which usually has its owner attached.
>
>
>
> I was asked about this not too long ago, have anymore details ?
>
>
[excessive quoting removed by server]
Hi Eugene,
Here is some info:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,80085,00.asp
You might do a search on the web, as I'm usre there is much more info on
this.
An example of GPS in a notebook computer is the GPS installed in cars,
etc. On my 2005 VW Jetta Wagon, I can network into the cars computer by
pluging into the cars computer and use the VW software, for example, to
set the timing on the engine, so all this stuff works the same.
Computer virus can also be introduced into a cars computer system via WiFi.
Regards,
LelandJ
Eugene Vital wrote:
> Leland Jackson wrote:
>
>> GPS can also be used to pinpoint locations of a WiFi notebook
>> computer, or a cell phone, which usually has its owner attached.
>
>
>
> I was asked about this not too long ago, have anymore details ?
>
>
[excessive quoting removed by server]
> bill@wjarnold.com 3/9/2005 9:09:47 AM
> Freedom of speech ain't what it used to be!
Your dissidence has been noted, and may be used against you in a court
of law.
Thank you for participating.
Ed, it's part freedom of speech and part privacy. It's certainly not the
marginal cost of sending an email message that matters here, it's the
siege we're under by employers (and the state, and big business) upon
freedoms and privacies that historically were tilted more towards the
individual than they are today. I'm sure you remember making private
calls while at work somewhere. We all did it, and it was considered
reasonable so long as we kept it to a minimum and it didn't interfere
with work.
Immeasurably more important then whose time or dime the call or email
was made with is the information content of the communications. This is
the real issue here. Whether we use tin cans, punch cards, the phone,
email or personal conversation, the mechanics of communication are
inexpensive, incidental and totally subordinate to the content of the
communication itself. To argue that sending information digitally is
intrinsically different then using a phone, and therefore subject to a
different set of rules is a phony argument.
But again, the ownership (forever!) and manipulation of that information
content is the important issue, and on that count, employees/citizens
are losing, one piece at time.
Now I'm old-fashioned. I believe that when I communicate with someone,
that person and I get to decide who else can listen in on/record/repeat
what we say. This 'right' wasn't spelled out in the Bill of Rights, but
that's the way it was. We didn't grow up in a world where one
unilaterally gives up this "right to privacy" to get a job, unless
perhaps we applied for work at the CIA.
As to the effect of this "corporate right" on freedom of speech, how
freely will people talk/type if they know their every word/email is
recorded for possible use against them at any time in the future? The
effect: most people will gravitate towards keeping mum or saying only
the "politically correct" things, and the few still willing to speak up
will be easy targets.
This isn't the biggest issue on Earth, but it is another brick in the
wall that will become our prison if we don't do something about it.
Bill
> > Freedom of speech ain't what it used to be!
>
> This, of course, has nothing to do with free speech.
> You are using company computers and company software to send messages
> across company networks and through company servers. Do you really
feel that
> the First Amendment requires that the company let everything go
through?
>
> Freedom of Speech requires that you have an outlet for
> your words. It does not require unrestricted access to every possible
outlet.
>
> ___/
> /
> __/
> /
> ____/
> Ed Leafe