An important issue for many employees today is the extent to which companies monitor their employees’ use of telephone and computer communications systems. As an example, let’s listen to a hypothetical discussion between Edgar and one of his employees.
| Edgar: | Miles, I understand you have been using electronic mail a lot lately. |
| Miles: | Sure. I’ve been working on the Robestat project, and I’ve been asking some of my old colleagues and a couple of professors for advice. I’m building a fairly complex model and I needed some help with the math and the statistics. The e-mail system is fast and my friends aren’t charging us for the advice. Besides, I thought the e-mail system was cheaper than regular mail. Is there a problem with the cost? |
| Edgar: | Not exactly. The work you’ve been doing on the project is fine. That’s not the problem. The problem is that you’ve also been using the system for personal use on company time. |
| Miles: | I don’t think I know what you’re talking about. |
| Edgar: | Do you know someone named Madeline at the University of San Francisco? |
| Miles: | Well, sort of, but . . . |
| Edgar: | The computer records show that in the last month, you sent her an average of five messages a day, and received about two a day from her. |
| Miles: | Uh, sure. But she’s just one of the colleagues I mentioned. We’ve, uh, been discussing parts of the project. She does some research for me at the library. I haven’t given her any details about the project or any confidential data. |
| Edgar: | That’s not the real problem. But Miles, you’re not quite telling me the whole story are you? |
| Miles: | I, uh, don’t know what you mean. |
(Edgar turns to a terminal and types a command.) |
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| Edgar: | Well, let’s see. How about this message you sent yesterday: |
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Dearest Madeline:
I really miss you. I had a great time at the party last weekend. I can’t wait to see you again. I have a boat reserved for the weekend. Just the two of us. Come with me, and we can watch the sun set over Alcatraz. What do you say? Miles ;>) |
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| Edgar: | There’s a lot more of this drivel here. I can’t find anything about the project, unless you count this silly reference to some chase through the library. |
| Miles: | But . . . where did you get those? You can’t read those. They’re personal property. |
| Edgar: | Not that it matters, but we routinely monitor everyone’s use of the computer. The point is that you’ve been using company resources for your personal use. Besides, some of these messages sound a bit immoral to me. This company doesn’t need workers like you. Clean up your desk. We’ll mail your final check to your home address. Here’s security. They’ll escort you out. |
| Miles: | But, but, wait a minute. You can’t do that. You can’t read my mail messages—that’s illegal. You can’t tell me what I can or can’t do on my time. You can’t do this, I’ll sue the company. I’ll sue you. I’ll . . . |
| Edgar: | Go ahead. We’ll win, just like all the other companies have won. It’s our computer, we can do what we want. Security, I’m through with him. |
(Miles is ushered out.) |
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| Miles: | Wait, wait! What if I pay the cost of the messages? It can’t cost more than a couple cents each! |
Most people know that it is illegal to intercept people’s mail or to tap phone lines. Even the police need a warrant from a judge to violate privacy in this manner. However, many people are not aware that these legal protections do not extend to broadcast communication systems. Also, employees are often unaware that companies can routinely monitor their computer usage and read electronic mail messages. Similarly, companies are allowed to monitor phone calls on the systems they own.
Questions