.The monitoring of activities on employees computers is the most explicit infringement of workplace privacy. An employer may monitor idle time spent on an employees keyboard or record all of the keystrokes made on it. A key logger is a program that records every keystroke entered on computer. This computer software tells the manager how many keystrokes per hour each employee is performing. However, than may also be used to read private e-mails or documents the employee is composing. Lastly, employers may use programs that enable them to view what is on a workers screen or stored in the employees hard drive. Employers can observe Internet usage. Once again, the employer owns the networks and the terminal and therefore has the right to view their contents.Analysts estimate employees spend 30 to 40 percent of each workday online (Business Wire). Software such as FastTracker, a product developed by Flatline Corporation, is an Employee Internet Management service. It is a tool that enables businesses to manage employees' use of the Internet and the information they collect while online at work. Companies implement these technologies for four major reasons. First, ensuring that employees do not spend hours on the Internet for personal use and cut productivity. The next use of these products is to protect the confidentiality of business information. Thirdly, employers could be held liable if employees download and use pirated software. Last, businesses want to protect their computers form viruses introduced by downloaded software.Monitoring may also have a down side:The New York Times fired 20 employees at a Virginia payroll processing center for violating corporate policy by sending "inappropriate and offensive" e-mail, and the Navy reported that it disciplined more than 500 employees at a Pennsylvania supply depot for sending sexually explicit e-mail. Xerox fired 40 people in October for violating company computer policies and Boeing has fir...
