One-Third Of Companies Monitoring Email

dotpavan writes "While studies have shown that spying on workers tends to make them less productive, that hasn't stopped approximately 1/3 of all U.S. companies from employing email monitoring tools. 43% of those companies employ staff to check outgoing emails. This seems like quite a waste. While there are some times when it makes sense to monitor emails (or it's required by law), most of the time, this seems like a complete waste of money. Not only are you upsetting workers and decreasing productivity, the benefits are pretty hard to spot. The number of "problem" emails tends to be incredibly low. If someone really wants to send out inappropriate emails, they're going to figure out some other way to do so, such as via a free webmail account somewhere. Yet, the companies are buying up expensive tools and hiring staff to watch just in case they catch the one or two problematic emails that go over the corporate network."

Comments

Re:So what? #3

[BinLadenMyHero]

So what?

If that's your case, read it as "So starting looking for a new job if they're dicks".

Anyway, you made me think about it.
I'm recently (latter 2004) started to live with my wife (we're not formally married, but we live like that) and share my life with her. She is still only a student, and provide about 15% the income. Sudently you see your much valued freedom risking to go away (as we plan to make babies by the 2010's). Maybe I should reconsider, thinking longer and deeper about it.

Root causes. Stupid is as stupid does.

[Erris]

Why doesn't email deserve this same protection?

The cold war is over and with it has gone the rhetoric of freedom. Now we see that those who claimed there was little difference between our Federal tyrants and Soviet tyrants were correct. Compared to the real evil empire, the war on terror is a pathetic excuse for violations of liberty. Yet daily we allow and some even demand such things. The rhetoric was right and we need to remember it.

The war between free and closed software is as important a fight as we have today. Every day, people sign over their privacy for the privilege of running expensive, second rate software. Some of this software, like Macromedia Flash, turns on your microphone and grants it's owners the ability to listen in on your conversations. Others, such as M$ OS demand the ability to inspect your files. Phone tapping is trivial next to such violations because your computer is also your filing system, your post and no phones worked when hung up the way a computer microphone can.

These violations are against company and individual alike, yet the bigger dumber companies continue to be suckered into massive information leaks by promises of employee monitoring. Such is the folly of manipulative people. The same site also point out that almost half of big dumb companies monitor their employee's email, here. Want to bet that 100% of those big dumb companies use M$ on their desktops? They have no idea what's leaking out of their networks from non-free shit, spyware and malware.