On Fri, 2005-02-18 at 07:22 +1100, Ben Donohue wrote: >Hi Slugs, > >Not exactly Linux questions but I've been asked by management to allow >them to seretly read users emails and a few questions are poping up. > >What is the legal position on the ownership of emails between members of >the company and betwen members and those outside the company? >If such emails are owned by the company is management entitled to read >users emails at their discression? >If emails are owned by the company may management monitor users emials >in real time, without prior warning from management? >If individuals of the compamy have not been appraised of the policy, >what is their legal standing in the company if they have not been >appraised of the policy? > >etc. you get the drift. Any comments from the many sysadmins here? >Ben
You /* really */ need legal advice on this. From when I was sysadminning, in Australia, emails are communications - and may be private or public - private ones are no more owned by the company than a letter from a pad on my desk to a friend of mine; and there is a strong expectation of reasonable privacy in the workplace. Management are absolutely not able entitled to read emails at their discretion : consider a complaint to HR by an employee about their manager ... that manager has no right to intercept that email! Having a policy about this helps, but if you policy is illegal, expect to have the workplace relations folk on your arse with a 4x2. Rob > -- GPG key available at: <http://www.robertcollins.net/keys.txt>.
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