[NTLUG:Discuss] I PASSED... I'm an LCA

[Jeremy Blosser]

Ted B Dodd [tedbdodd at bigfoot.com] wrote:
> On 1 Jun 2001, at 14:21, Chris Cox wrote:
> 
> >> The law defines what a company is allowed to do 
> >> without getting sued.  It does not define things 
> >> like 'you must routinely invade your users' privacy
> >> at any opportunity'.
>  
> > Sounds good.  But incorrect.  Your email belongs to the
> > company... not to you.  If you want more privacy, do not use
> > the company's email facilities for your personal email. 
> 
> IANAL, so expand on this.  I use the Earthlink POP to get my 
> personal email using Pegasus on my company provided PC 
> workstation.  The corporate email system is Exchange-Server.  I 
> use the corporate SMTP to send my personal email from the 
> Pegasus email client.  What is the ownership status of that 
> email?

In most companies, if it crosses their network and/or is done on company
time, it belongs to them.  In some companies, anything you do during the
days you are employed by them, even on your own time and at your own house,
belongs to them (cf. the case a couple years ago where an airline was
allowed to search the hard drives of employees' home machines).

If in doubt, check your published corporate policy, and take it at its
strongest possible wording; even if they don't say it there, they stand a
good chance of getting anything they do with your activities on company
time upheld.

-- 
Jeremy Blosser