Following up our class discussion today, one issue that wasn't really talked about was the ability of businesses to monitor e-mail. Should e-mail be monitored? Under what circumstances does it make it okay to punish an offender? Not only is the moral issue of monitoring e-mail gray, but the legality is too, which is why internet and computer law is becoming a hotter and hotter field.
Part of the philosophy of whether or not one should monitor employees and punish offenders comes from precautionary vs. proactive ideas. Let's say that for the second time, an important trade secret has been leaked or even sold to a competitor. What is the right choice to make when solving this problem? Should one monitor all employees heavily or write it off as a necessary evil?
Legally, the area of computers as property is still somewhat debatable. Some courts rule that the computer is like a box; once you open it you've broken and entered into an area needing a warrant. Others view each folder like individual boxes; each one requiring its own warrant.
Egregious violations of common workplace morals should be punished with question, i.e. pornography. Is the type of pornography bad enough to get someone fired? A warning? Most, if not all workplaces take a categorical imperative approach, that is to say that viewing of pornography disrupts the workplace as a whole.
It will be interesting to see how this area of law and morals is shaped as the world becomes increasingly flatter.
I think that employers should be able to monitor employee email. However, I feel that they should have to let the employees know very clearly that their email may be monitored. It is a workplace, not a home, and the company has a right to monitor how the employees are using their time, and whether messages being sent and received from a company email address are appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kristy. I don't see a problem with monitoring employees computer use. I'm not even sure I feel that the employee needs to be informed. It should just be common knowledge that a work computer should be used for work alone, so why would anyone have a problem with being monitored?
ReplyDeleteI agree too, with Kristy's point. If you are using a work computer to do personal things, then yes, your email should be monitored. And employers should give the employees a heads up that there computers will be monitered. It is a work place, so people should use it that way.
ReplyDeleteI would think that most people would assume that there e-mail at work is being monitored. If I had a business I would want to make sure nothing was going on my computers that shouldn't. If someone is putting something on a work computer they don't want seen they probably should rethink doing it.
ReplyDeleteDo you think employers should offer an opt-in or opt-out option? Can this be done? What would the effects of such an offer be?
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