Privacy! Or is there?

[sombre]

Hi,
Whilst checking my work email on my home computer and server, i thne started browsing youtube. Can my work see what i was viewing on youtube? How will it come up on the work's computer. What if i delete my youtube history?

Thanks.

 

[sombre]

Also, to add, when i looked in the top corner of youtube, it had logged me on my work gmail account.

 

[TheStu]

What was wrong with your last thread on this issue?

 

[TreyRandom]

As a former senior network admin, I can say with some authority that it doesn't matter if you delete your browsing history or not. If you're using the company's network to access the Internet, they can see everything that passes through the company's firewall/router. In fact, everything that passes between the Internet and the computers on their network can be monitored and logged. This includes personal devices, such as iPads, that use the company's wireless network.

Bottom line is this: it's not your network, it's your company's network. As such, you should have no expectations of privacy on that network. You should always ask yourself, "Is this a site that my employer would mind if I visit?" If you have the least bit of doubt or hesitation... don't do it.

 

[sombre]

Thank you Treyrandom. I was on my own wireless network, at home, but logged on to youtube via my work gmail account. Does this still apply?

 

[TreyRandom]

Thank you Treyrandom. I was on my own wireless network, at home, but logged on to youtube via my work gmail account. Does this still apply?

I don't understand what a "work gmail account" is. Is it your account or your employer's Gmail account? Does anyone else have access to that account?

 

[sombre]

I was at home on my ipad, on my own wireless. I checked my work email - which is a gmail account. Without realising, it automatically logged me into youtube using that email name. Then i searched and watche dvideos on youtube. I realised after that it said i was 'signed in' and it stated my work email address.

 

[TreyRandom]

I was at home on my ipad, on my own wireless. I checked my work email - which is a gmail account. Without realising, it automatically logged me into youtube using that email name. Then i searched and watche dvideos on youtube. I realised after that it said i was 'signed in' and it stated my work email address.

Sorry, I didn't receive an answer to my questions, and without those, I'm unable to assist you. Slightly reworded:

- Is it your account or your employer's account? Did you create the Gmail account, or did your employer create the Gmail account for you? When you leave the company, is the Gmail account still yours, or will you not be allowed to access it any longer?
- Does anyone else have access to that Gmail account?

 

[sombre]

The employer set up the gmail account. No other staff member has access to my account, but i would assume the it administrator does.

 

[sombre]

As a former senior network admin, I can say with some authority that it doesn't matter if you delete your browsing history or not. If you're using the company's network to access the Internet, they can see everything that passes through the company's firewall/router. In fact, everything that passes between the Internet and the computers on their network can be monitored and logged. This includes personal devices, such as iPads, that use the company's wireless network.

Bottom line is this: it's not your network, it's your company's network. As such, you should have no expectations of privacy on that network. You should always ask yourself, "Is this a site that my employer would mind if I visit?" If you have the least bit of doubt or hesitation... don't do it.

The employer set up the gmail account. No other staff member has access to my account, but i would assume the it administrator does.

 

[TreyRandom]

The employer set up the gmail account. No other staff member has access to my account, but i would assume the it administrator does.

It is possible, then, that your employer would have access to anything on the account that you have. Gmail does indeed have an Account Activity Report feature where a summary of the activity on the account, including how many emails you have sent and received, what you have searched on for, and where you've signed in from. From PCWorld:

Visiting questionable sites while using the company's account can expose the company to malware, hacking attempts, and in some cases, legal liabilities. I know you didn't mean to search for videos on the employer's account, but if you're going to search for anything your employer wouldn't want you searching for, you'll need to be extra careful about that sort of thing... or, simply don't access your work account from those devices.

Remember, it's THEIR account, not yours. Use it responsibly, just like you would responsibly protect an employer's building key or security alarm code.

 

[sombre]

It is possible, then, that your employer would have access to anything on the account that you have. Gmail does indeed have an Account Activity Report feature where a summary of the activity on the account, including how many emails you have sent and received, what you have searched on for, and where you've signed in from. From PCWorld:

Visiting questionable sites while using the company's account can expose the company to malware, hacking attempts, and in some cases, legal liabilities. I know you didn't mean to search for videos on the employer's account, but if you're going to search for anything your employer wouldn't want you searching for, you'll need to be extra careful about that sort of thing... or, simply don't access your work account from those devices.

Remember, it's THEIR account, not yours. Use it responsibly, just like you would responsibly protect an employer's building key or security alarm code.

Ok - thank you very much - note taken. But, they wouldn't perhaps, be bale to have a live feed of my searching, via this scenario? They would just have a report. I know that when on the work network - they can see what we are searching for as we do it.

 

[TreyRandom]

Ok - thank you very much - note taken. But, they wouldn't perhaps, be bale to have a live feed of my searching, via this scenario? They would just have a report. I know that when on the work network - they can see what we are searching for as we do it.

I doubt it, but I am unaware of every feature that Google offers.

If you're worried about something that's already happened, and a tracking feature exists, then there's likely nothing that can be done about it. If you're worried about them tracking you in the future, just don't do it anymore. In either case, you shouldn't dwell on the situation and stress out over it any further. If your employer brings it up, simply explain what happened, apologize, and tell them it won't happen again.

 

[MrColin]

Where do you work and what videos did you watch?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

There is none.

I work in schools. A few weeks ago, an 8th grade girl came to me because she was getting "horrible, disgusting, OMGWTF" ads. (Turned out it was "GET LAID TONIGHT IN YOURTOWNHERE!" kinda stuff. Relatively tame.)

Kids was logged into a personal gmail account and using Google Chrome. It went through her search history, found entries for some "women's health" issues (the kind 8th grade girls have to deal with) and STDs (which they learn about in health class), and decided she was a sexually active adult who would likely be interested in... stuff.

 

[lenablue]

It is possible, then, that your employer would have access to anything on the account that you have. Gmail does indeed have an Account Activity Report feature where a summary of the activity on the account, including how many emails you have sent and received, what you have searched on for, and where you've signed in from. From PCWorld:

Visiting questionable sites while using the company's account can expose the company to malware, hacking attempts, and in some cases, legal liabilities. I know you didn't mean to search for videos on the employer's account, but if you're going to search for anything your employer wouldn't want you searching for, you'll need to be extra careful about that sort of thing... or, simply don't access your work account from those devices.

Remember, it's THEIR account, not yours. Use it responsibly, just like you would responsibly protect an employer's building key or security alarm code.

Thanks TreyRandom. You are great.

 

[JPaulB1]

Hmm, so lets see. You use your employment mail account when you opened a you tube account because to register for access to most services, they insist on your supplying some sort of an electronic mailing address.
Matter of fact I just went through that as this Forum provider insisted.
So the question does the 'owner' of the email account also own the access to every service that the email address is referred to?
Personally, I don't think so. But if the owner of the address does, that means when you order a pizza to you employers address, that your employer owns the pizza. (Hopefully he pays for it)
Perhaps he does. Perhaps he is responsible for the safety of that pizza. So how about if you ate the pizza across the street in the park and you died of food poisoning? Since it was delivered to your employers address, your employer owns the pizza, and your family can find your employer responsible for letting you eat his bad pizza.
A mail address does not in and of itself create any sort of risk to an employers system.
To have a risk, you need to open or execute a file from within the employers system. You were not within the employers system. You were using his address to corrupt your own system. Therefore, he must replace your computer before he fires you for bad judgement.
Muahahaha

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