Instant Message, Instant Transcript

shams42 writes: "Although the internet has been far from private for some time now, it seems that public awareness and concern over this issue is mounting. This article at CNN discusses the issue of companies monitoring instant messages for cyberslacking or leaking company secrets. There is also the possibility of them being included as evidence in court cases."

Comments

Re:simple solution

[Nonesuch]

IMHO, a 'good employer' does not bother to look unless the employee causes some other problem. The one case I had dealt with was related to using IRC from the office, and the abuser was fired that same day.

I've not heard of an employer that monitors Port 22, and even if they did, it's encrypted so they can't pick up what you said.

Every corporate site I have been at, will block port 22 outbound.

Best program for this is PuTTY (assuming you use NT at work)

If your employer is nosy enough to be sniffing your IM sessions, they are probably also nosy enough to install LanDesk and/or other software on the desktop for remote screen viewing, keystroke logging, etc.

The whole thing assumes you are using *n?x at home and can run an SSH daemon on it.

People that clueful generally have better things to do with their time than instant messaging.

(Says the guy posting to slashdot in the middle of the night)

I still don't get this....

[Peridriga]

Privacy at the work place...

You are in a building that you don't own..
You are sitting in a chair that you don't own
You are using a computer that you don't own
You are using a network that you don't own
You are using bandwidth that you don't own

Why do you have any expectation of privacy?

It's simply a given.... If I am talking on my cell phone in the middle of the IT department I have no expectation of privacy...
If I am 'yelling' my conversations over the network why do I have expectation of privacy...

If I want to chat personally or sell company secrets I will do it at my home where I DO have privacy... But, not at work

Re:I still don't get this....

[The Cat]

Why do you have any expectation of privacy?

Because you're a human being with human rights. One of those rights is freedom of speech, and part of that freedom is the ability to control when, where and to whom to speak. The speech is what should be protected, not the company's stupid network.

If they don't want to hire people, fine. Let them buy an M$ wizzzzzzzard to set up their databases and sit in meetings. But if they want hard-working, knowledgeable, imaginative people, then they are going to have to accept the fact that they are HUMAN BEINGS, not machines.

Just because you're in a "building you don't own" doesn't mean you have to hand over control of your entire life to some middle-manager.

People are people FIRST, then "employees." This "the company rules the universe" routine is getting REALLY fatiguing.

Re:Ah yes

[ryanvm]

If it isn't company business, PAYCHECK OR NOT, it isn't company business. Period. People should be given the freedom to be people before corporate drones.

Who are you, Bodhi from Point Blank?

No one forces you to take a job. When you do, you engage in a contract with your employer. It says I will provide X amount of hours of labor for X amount of wages. If you are fucking off chatting with your warez buddies on AIM, than you are not fulfilling your end of the bargain. You are ripping off your employer. Period.

If I pay someone to dig holes for me for 1 hour, then I am entitled stand beside him and make sure he digs for that hour. Even moreso if he's using my shovel. Why do you think that because you work with computer equipment that you are special? It's the same thing.

Excuse me, but why is the workplace exempt from a person's inalienable rights?

I don't think you understand. You do not have an inalienable right to use other people's equipment to chat on the Internet. If you want to do that - do it at home, where you pay for it.