On Thursday, February 25, 2010 5:32 PM Andrew McNabb wrote

>I think it is immoral (and should be illegal) to surreptitiously log the 
>keystrokes of
>a guest in your home.  If you make an incredibly clear and specific
>warning, then maybe it should be permissible, but you should not have
>the right to monitor keystrokes without their complete understanding in
>advance.

You seem to feel that one person's right to e-mail privacy is more important 
than another individual's right to keep the government from dictating what he 
or she can or can't do with their own equipment or network within their own 
home. I guess I find it difficult to understand why an individual should have 
this extremely broad "right" to privacy regarding e-mail when it would impinge 
on rights held equally dear by others. Much of privacy law and the sections of 
the constitution that have been interpreted as protection of privacy were meant 
to keep the government from interfering with individuals' stuff -- especially 
in their own home.

I would agree that someone who is monitoring a computer or network should not 
be able to use the information they can see to incriminate someone or to 
blackmail them or harass them in any way. And it should be clear to the end 
user that their work may be monitored. But I still believe the owner of the 
network should be able to monitor communications in order to protect their 
organization, stake holders, equipment, etc.

I definitely don't think governmental agencies should be able to snoop without 
due process of law, but I think it is just as bad to have the government 
dictate how I use my own machines in my own home. As far as the morality of 
monitoring in general, I think it is just as morally repugnant for someone to 
demand that I should be forced to handle my machinery in the way they want for 
their personal convenience as to monitor someone else's e-mail with the intent 
to protect the network.

Christijan
--------------------
BYU Unix Users Group 
http://uug.byu.edu/ 

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