Can corporations check your email?

[RecklaZ]

I work for a hotel and go through my email everyday. Can "Hilton" or any coporation go through your email? Even Hotmail? How much can they go through?

 

[m2kewl]

if it's corporate email, they own you. unless mail systems you're connected to are encrypted - it can be sniffed and read.

 

[her209]

Only if they own it AND they tell you in advance

 

[Jzero]

THey can go through whatever they want. You probably even signed off consent to this happening when you started working. Go back and read your employee handbook....

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

but they cannot use any info in an email against you, they can only get rid of you for miss appropriation of company property.

 

[slick230]

If you're using their computers and net connections to connect to your mail hosts, then they can do whatever they like. A place I used to work at had a signon screen that stated that their computers were to be used legitimate business purposes only and you were subjet to monitoring while using their systems. If you got caught, you were screwed.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
but they cannot use any info in an email against you, they can only get rid of you for miss appropriation of company property.

No way. If you do something illegal, they can bring you up on charges. If you send e-mail that is racist, sexist, etc, you can be canned, and maybe even sued.
Basically anything you can get in trouble for in person, you can get in the same trouble in e-mail, there's just a much better record of what you said/did.

 

[RecklaZ]

The question is, can they go through my hotmail?

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
but they cannot use any info in an email against you, they can only get rid of you for miss appropriation of company property.

No way. If you do something illegal, they can bring you up on charges. If you send e-mail that is racist, sexist, etc, you can be canned, and maybe even sued.
Basically anything you can get in trouble for in person, you can get in the same trouble in e-mail, there's just a much better record of what you said/did.

Ditto.

A lot of big city London rollers got busted for stuff like that. Bitching about the bosss or other females in the office. The list goes on.....

 

[Aceshigh]

Originally posted by: RecklaZ
The question is, can they go through my hotmail?

If you check your Hotmail at work, yes they can. At my work they monitor everything, including keystrokes. This is plainly stated in the log in screen. I do check my personal email occasionally and I am not that worried about them having access to it. I don't do anything illegal or anything I would get in trouble for.

 

[FoBoT]

yes

their email system, all your email belong to them

if you use their computer/internet connection to check private email/hotmail, then again, they can monitor what you are doing

 

[RossMAN]

You're using their equipment and their bandwidth, right?

Yes, but usually they make you sign a disclaimer form when they hire you or begin allowing you to use their internet service.

 

[RecklaZ]

Keystrokes can be monitered too? Using a keykatcher or sumthing

 

[RecklaZ]

Keystrokes can be monitered too? Using a keykatcher or sumthing

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: RecklaZ
Keystrokes can be monitered too? Using a keykatcher or sumthing

Certainly.

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
You're using their equipment and their bandwidth, right?

Yes, but usually they make you sign a disclaimer form when they hire you or begin allowing you to use their internet service.

A form given to you to sign would be ideal, but just a signon screen on your computer is enough. If you continue past that and continue to use their resources, you have no excuse if you get canned for abusing them. Whether you read the signon screen or not.

 

[MeanMeosh]

you should read through your contract. these things will be outlined.

 

[bunker]

You don't have to sign anything, you don't have to be told.

As long as it's in the company's business policy, which is accessible and you have been told to read it (I would guess 99% of people don't), then they are covered.

It's their property and you are only supposed to be using it for business purposes. They can monitor whatever they want/.

 

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: m2kewl
if it's corporate email, they own you. unless mail systems you're connected to are encrypted - it can be sniffed and read.

 

[Rastus]

I'm sure any sophisticated company keeps a copy of every email that goes in or out of their email servers.

 

[Chess]

Originally posted by: RecklaZ
The question is, can they go through my hotmail?

Id say thats very illegal, if it was with your corporation yes!

 

[SaigonK]

They dont have to tell you a damn thing...I have this discussion with my users all the time.
They argue that they have an expectation of privacy and I just remind them that they do not....

my favorite example is that if Kmart can film people getting undressed in a locker room and the supreme court upholds it as no expectation of privacy in the workplace, then i sure as hell can read your email. 🙂

Now on the reality side, we do have a policy in our company that states we have to get permission to look into someone;s email, usually from a corporate officer or VP.

 

[ultimatebob]

Yes, corporations can legally monitor all of the unencrypted traffic going over their network. That's what packet sniffers are for!