We are living in the era of big data, where cyber threats pose new risks to individuals, companies, and governments. In the process, our very notions of privacy have changed. Key cards, private e-mail accounts, audio and video surveillance, biometric verification and password-protected computer workstations make the workplace more efficient and safe. However, they also have changed the landscape of employee privacy dramatically within a generation. Monitoring technology allows employers to guard against a range of employee misconduct, from unproductive uses of the Internet to fraud and other sources of significant liability for both the employee and the employer. Management is no longer limited to direct observation governed by human limitations as technological advancements have allowed companies to “supervise” their employees on a much wider scale. Employers can now use technology to monitor employees and make sure that productivity stays high, while employer fraud, theft, and other misconduct stays low. Surveys show that over 90% of all employers conduct some form of electronic monitoring of their workplaces. Therefore, employers must also be mindful of applicable local, state, and federal laws that are designed to protect employees.
As employers increase their ability to monitor and record their employees’ workplace conduct, the risk that...
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