New Federal Law Requires companies to track employee IMs?

Question

I came across this article this morning.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_hi_te/storing_e_mails

What do you guys think of this? My AIM at work is has been blocked today - do you think this has anything to do with the new law? I'm also concerned because a few buddies and I usually joke all day about controversial subjects - even though we are joking do you think my company has a record of my IMs (or will be storing a record??)

Answer 1

(1) The new "law" doesn't require companies to "track" IMs; it's rules of disovery in case the company is in litigation to produce "electronically stored information." What is basically requires is (a) the company take reasonable steps to preserve electronically stored information pursuant to a general policy, and (b) once a lawsuit is started, you cannot destroy electronically stored information that might be relevant. I think people are blowing this way out of proportion. Just like a company may regularly destroy documents pursuant to a document retention policy, companies may destroy old e-mails and backup files pursuant to an electronic information policy. But what they can't do is make any changes once a lawsuit has actually been started.
(2) I don't think that Instant Messages would constitute "electronically stored information" under the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, because, like a telephone call, IMs are not intended to be permanent. Because you CAN make a log of some IMs, though, your IS department (and or the legal advisors to your company) may believe that they are. Thus, your company may have decided to block AIM so they simply don't have to deal with it.
(3) These rules don't require "tracking," just retention. But I bet that you've received an electronic information policy from your work, which states that the company owns everything on your computer and has the right to snoop whever it wants. So the company may or may not have a record of your IMs.

Answer 2

anything that you type, search , im , email etc is on the companies network server even if deleted from your individual machine; it is a work computer and therefore they can do , monitor , restrict whatever they please; if you wouldn't say it your employer, you shouldn't type it on your computer ; their position is that you are hired to do a job anything less can jeopardize your position with the company and they can and will print out a copy of all your searches, emails and IM's ; it is their possession; the exception is if your company allows it employees to use the computer (reasonably) during work time; don't search for love interests etc ; your employer can see everything that goes on in the computer with its employees. Better off waiting until you get home; it is like passing handwritten notes around the office and your boss finds them ;same thing

Answer 3

Possibly. However, it's MUCH more likely that your company blocked your IM program because they want you to WORK instead of goof off.

Answer 4

nicely for starters Messianic Jews at the instant are not Jews they're easily a popular Evangelical flow that integrated Mosaic rules into their ideals and use Jewish terminology and practices. until now Christians have been spoke of as Christians they have been the Nazarene (aka. followers of how) wherein they observed the instructions of Jesus which became into taught by the Apostles and observed the ordinances of Mosaic regulation this is until at last St. Paul arrived because of the fact past until now St. Paul the Gentile (Non-Jewish) converts have been forced to stick to the ordinances of Mosaic regulation. there have been Jewish converts yet no longer that a lot of them because of the fact maximum Jews seen the Nazarene as being heretics this is why i urge human beings to make sure the e book of Acts, the Apostles have been rejected by the Jews and have been kicked out of their synagogues. and of course no longer many Gentiles (Non-Jews) have been changing because of the fact they have been forced to stick to the ordinances of Mosaic regulation. while St. Paul arrived he taught them that Jesus had fulfilled the Mosaic regulation for them that they have been now no longer certain by the ordinances of Mosaic regulation for those rules have been made for the human beings of Israel below the previous Covenant. nicely there became right into a divide interior the Nazarene those that regularly occurring the instructions of St. Paul may be spoke of as the Christians. people who rejected the instructions of St. Paul might stay the Nazarene yet because of the fact they rejected the instructions of St. Paul an Apostle chosen by Jesus Himself that they had lost the Apostolic Succession. Now while this transition taken place there have been some that now no longer forced the ordiencence of Mosaic regulation upon others yet they themselves endured to stick to those ordienances they have been spoke of as the Hebrew Christians like what St. Paul became right into a Hebrew Christian. those that did no longer stick to the ordinances of Mosaic regulation have been your Christians. in case you examine the Paulin Epistles interior the hot testomony they actually discourage following the ordinances of Mosaic regulation. immediately there are Hebrew Catholics that stay in Israel. The Catholic Church made an exception for them being that they are Jewish converts yet they did no longer desire to desert following the ordinances of Mosaic regulation.

Answer 5

Stop goofing off and get back to work.