Bosses now read your messages during working hours ↁ_ↁ

The European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, has ruled that employers are allowed to read private messages sent via chat software and webmail accounts during working hours.

the judges also said that unregulated snooping on employees would not be acceptable, and called on a set of polices to be drawn up by employers that would clearly state what information they could collect and how.

There was supposedly a worker who even got sacked for simply sending messages to his fiancée. His fiancée - not a drug dealer, mind you. :indiff:

Source.

Is there any time when it would be acceptable? How on earth could an employer justify that they looked at an employee's phone at the right time?

Is that even allowed? After all, they're called PRIVATE messages for a reason, what on earth? :colonhash:

This is why I ever trust free WiFi anywhere :colonhash:

unless your boss has the right to access your phone during working hours even if you're not using their WiFi?!

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think bosses should be allowed to access your phone which can contain very sensitive topics/messages?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

San pellegrino

Why are you asking dumb questions fam?! Who is actually going to say yes I want my boss to read my private emails and messages. Some of you are lacking common sense and asking questions you already have the answers to

Reply 2

Reue

Did you even read the actual ruling?

This relates to employers reading communications sent on WORK DEVICES during WORK TIME.

It's also nothing new. I work in IT; we've been reading your messages for years.

Reply 3

UWS

Original post by Reue

I work in IT; we've been reading your messages for years.

Note to self: Delete conversation history first thing tomorrow

Reply 4

shawn_o1

well I've got so many rules to read before I start work, then :wink:

Reply 5

Reue

Original post by UWS

Note to self: Delete conversation history first thing tomorrow

Pointless. It's all logged :wink:

Reply 6

Viva Emptiness

I'd love it if they read mine, it would give them a lot to think on.

Reply 7

Maz A

Original post by thecatwithnohat

There was supposedly a worker who even got sacked for simply sending messages to his fiancée. His fiancée - not a drug dealer, mind you. :indiff:

This is why I ever trust free WiFi anywhere :colonhash:

Of course one side of the argument is that they should be allowed to ensure workers perform their tasks to their best ability (and not get distracted). Furthermore, it helps to monitor employees that they are indeed working; surely if you are at work using your company's WiFi to send a message, it seems valid that bosses can monitor what is sent. On the other hand, it doesn't give them the right to check previous messages that you send (especially if they are private), but nevertheless if they are allowed to check messages sent during 'working hours' employees should be mindful of what they do. Although, it can lead to a slippery slope that monitoring messages can lead to other more 'strict' regulations being imposed on employees; whose to say that eventually managers can have increased surveillance on specific individuals and create a databse of 'bad workers'... etc. It does appear to be a good idea to give bosses the right to observe what messages are being sent especially if employees are given the privilege to use the companies internet and social media during working hours, however one must outline restrictions would have to be implemented for it to effectively work.

Good.

Original post by San pellegrino

Some may argue that you're at work to actually work, not to socially interact with people until you're outside your working hours

don't hurt my feelings smh, am fragile :colonhash:

Reply 10

thecatwithnohat

Original post by Reue

If I interpreted it wrong, please forgive me :colondollar:

Even with work devices and not your actual phone, they're still your private messages no?

Reply 11

pringles 4 days

Original post by Reue

It's also nothing new. I work in IT; we've been reading your messages for years.

Are you telling us mods/the CT can read our PMs? :shock:

Reply 12

z33

Original post by Reue

Pointless. It's all logged :wink:

0_0 scary to think that no matter how much you delete of YOUR personal info that YOU have put out yourself (not even on the internet!) there will ALWAYS be a record of it somewhere

Reply 13

Reue

Original post by thecatwithnohat

If I interpreted it wrong, please forgive me :colondollar:

Even with work devices and not your actual phone, they're still your private messages no?

You're using work resources, so they have a right to check what their resources are being used for.

Also from a legal standpoint they need to monitor incase you're using work resources to do something illegal. Plus some specific companies need to have all communications stored for a certain number of years due to various legal reasons.

Reply 14

Reue

Original post by z33

0_0 scary to think that no matter how much you delete of YOUR personal info that YOU have put out yourself (not even on the internet!) there will ALWAYS be a record of it somewhere

The content or source of the data is irrelevant. If you've used a company device and company network then they will almost certainly log at least some of it.

Reply 15

z33

Original post by Reue

The content or source of the data is irrelevant. If you've used a company device and company network then they will almost certainly log at least some of it.

No no i wasn't talking about just in work i was talking in general like even on your personal devices at home...
and yeah i understand that :3

Reply 16

Reue

Original post by z33

No no i wasn't talking about just in work i was talking in general like even on your personal devices at home...
and yeah i understand that :3

Yes, every message you ever send through email, WhatsApp, snapchat, tsr, Facebook, etc. It will all be saved somewhere.

Reply 17

balanced

Original post by thecatwithnohat

There was supposedly a worker who even got sacked for simply sending messages to his fiancée. His fiancée - not a drug dealer, mind you. :indiff:

This is why I ever trust free WiFi anywhere :colonhash:

Welcome, my friend, to the EU.

Reply 18

z33

Original post by Reue

Yes, every message you ever send through email, WhatsApp, snapchat, tsr, Facebook, etc. It will all be saved somewhere.

T_______T makes me feel like running off to some remote Island where there's no Internet/ technology and camp there for the rest of my life

haven't done anything bad (i dont even USE social media X'D) but i don't like the feeling of someone having access to all that info about me >w<