Bill Bans Secret Workplace Snooping

jyuter writes "According to this ZDNET article, congress is considering a bill which requires companies to disclose their practices regarding reading employees' e-mails. What puzzles me is this quote from Charles Schumer D-NY, "We would never stand for it if an employer steamed open an employee's mail, read it and put it back. It is the same thing with an employee's e-mail." So it's ok then for employers to steam open employees's mail and give it back to them, provided they tell the employees of this policy beforehand." This would be a very modest proposal indeed - one tiny step for privacy, one giant leap for, well, nothing. Maybe I should be less cynical. Nah.

Comments

Letter Vs postcard

[goldmeer]

I'm getting tired of everyone assuming incorrectly that they have an expectation of privacy regarding regular email.

As I explain it to anyone that will listen:

If you send a postcard in the regular mail, anyone that touches the card can easily read the message that you have written. You have no expectation of privacy.

If you send a letter sealed in an envelope, then those that handle the letter cannot easily read the message written on the paper within. You have a reasonable expectation of privacy that came from sealing the envelope.

Email is a postcard, not a letter. There is nothing on the standard mail message that is sealing it from the eyes of anyone that touches the mail message. The text and any attachments are in the clear for anyone that has access and cares to look to read your message.

The answer is encryption.
Once you encrypt a message, you are sealing the envelope. You then have an expectation of privacy, the better the encryption, the better the expectation of privacy.

You see, companies reading mail is not at all like steaming open letters, because unencrypted mail is not like a letter. Companies reading email is much more like reading the postcards that you get in interoffice mail.

What's that, you say, you don't send postcards in the interoffice mail? Sure you do, every time you click SEND in your email program.

Joe Goldmeer

This won't make a big difference

[sandler]

I think this is an excellent bill, as people should at least be aware of what's happening. I'd much rather have an exposed camera in an elevator than a hidden one.

But, keep in mind that this only means that they have to tell you what they can or may do. It doesn't mean that every time they read one of your emails, they have to tell you that they did so. My company was straightforward in saying that they can and do read emails, web logs, etc. But I think most people operate as if they probably won't read everything.

I think this is a step in the right direction, but I bet even after being notified of the company policy, an employee would still be shocked/upset if an HR rep dragged out an email and grilled him on it.