Today we are going to talk about your privacy when using a computer at work. Did you know that almost everything you do on a work computer at your place of employment is most likely carefully monitored? The truth is that almost all companies now monitor what their employees are doing on the Internet while at work. In fact, many companies go a step further and check up on what you are posting on Facebook and Twitter even when you are off the clock. Lets start out at your place of employment. First thing that you have to remember is that the machine you are using at your place of work is not your machine. The computer is the property of the company you are working for. If an employee uses that computer for shopping during working hours, there is always the risk of contracting a serious virus that could take down the entire office network. This is not something any company wants to have to deal with as it means a serious loss of revenue and productivity.
In order to be sure that the company employees are using the machine for their job, most companies will install tracking software that can monitor the traffic in and out of the network. When you are at work and quickly going to your Facebook or Twitter account, you can most likely assume that your employer knows you were there as well. In fact, many companies will block these social media from the network altogether. In addition, most companies have strict policies that prohibit you talking about work related issues on these social sites.
In addition to surfing the web, your e-mails can also be easily monitored by your work place. Special software can easily check on what type of e-mails you are sending or if you are using the company e-mail system for personal use instead of business. You might want to think twice before posting that e-mail or Facebook post about your boss.
The safest way to go is to use the company systems for your job related contacts only. If you need to contact your friends or family, do so from your own cell phone while you are on break or lunch. Remember that the network at your place of employment is the property of the company and they have the right to be sure it is being used for the right purpose. The wrong type of e-mails being sent out from a company’s network can affect the reputation of the company. For this reason alone you should always respect their rules governing these issues.
Author: Joe Zelenak, Staff Writer
Yes your 100% right on that!