Overhearing onboarding managers explain how IT watches everything staff do.
No we don’t randomly remote into your system to see what your screen you are on.
No we dont actively look at your web history.
No we don’t actively read other staffs outgoing emails for data loss.
We have automated systems for 2 and 3. Even then we only do something if requested by HR or Legal.
IT guy here, I want to be as far away from any user logs as possible that are not directly related to solving a work issue.
I don’t want to know anything about your browsing history, your email, your chats or your documents. I want to install computers, configure systems, plan deployments, fix odd issues, write scripts, make reports, and while doing that listen/watch youtube videos about a guy setting up obsolete systems like Sun thin clients, installing BeOS, Apple Rhapsody, installing Windows 3.11 on a mobile phone, stuff like that.
That’s exactly what an IT person would say to hide the fact they watch what I do on my computer!
Highly illegal in the EU. Also highly stupid everywhere else. The big question is “How secure is your user espionage system and can an outsider get acces?”. The data from something like this is a social engineering goldmine.
I mean, a lot of the places people say stuff like that our government-related jobs, where the emails and internal DMs are recorded as public record. This isn’t as much of an issue in that case.
Yeah but people are highly aware of it and there is even a disclaimer in Email Signatures that everything is tracked. If you are dealing with government ministries in European countries some of the (unofficial) information exchange is done without written record, either at in-person conferences or even through non-work phones.
Highly illegal in the EU.
Source? I’ve signed contracts before that includes clauses saying they can basically read my work email whenever they want.
Screen and web history sounds pretty illegal though, but would love to hear what law that is.
Under the GDPR, employers in the EU can only monitor employees’ work emails if it is necessary, proportionate, and serves a legitimate purpose, such as ensuring compliance or security. Employees must be informed about the monitoring in advance, and clear policies should be in place to respect transparency and consent requirements. Any monitoring must also balance the employer’s business interests with the employees’ right to privacy, ensuring minimal intrusion. Some countries like Germany have really strict interpretations of how to apply the GDPR here.
Is it really unreasonable to explain that nothing you do on a work computer is private, though?
Obviously you don’t want to do any of that. But if you have a reasonable set up, you can when you need to, and telling people not to do shit they shouldn’t on company hardware is a good thing.
I can explain it a thousand times and people will still treat company equipment during company time as private.
I am more annoyed about managers giving the impression that we actively watch things. We don’t. We have more important stuff to do because we are chronically underfunded
Last night, when I was waiting in the car for my wife and we realized after she got in that her bag, where the house keys were, was still inside. She thought I had the bag with me in the car. Had to call a 24/7 locksmith because it was late in the evening.
This is why my spouse and I both always take our keys when we leave the apartment.
Wait, you don’t know how to easily break into your own house. But it is your own house!
I can easily break into my apartment through the kitchen window, the only one that wouldn’t require a ladder, but then I’d have to replace the glass. We could get back into the building by waiting around for a neighbor, who would probably recognize us or at least not find the old couple with the wheelchair threatening. But we’d be late for wherever we were going, which is usually a medical appointment. When I go out alone I usually don’t lock the unit door because it’s more dangerous for my husband if I crash or something and nobody can get in to help him than the chances of someone breaking in with evil intent.
This is why we got keypads. Never getting locked out because of the I-thought-you-had-them or any other reason.
I was thinking of getting a keypad, but I’ll definitely have a manual deadbolt along with it because I’m paranoid of it failing, so I’ll likely still be locked out either way.
Edit: I realized a deadbolt has to be locked from the outside, so maybe I won’t be locked out in that case.
We’ve used kwikset dumb locks (no app) and never had one fail. We only had to change the batteries once and that was because I was paranoid that it had been 3 years, not because the batteries were dying. When it fails it is supposed to fail “locked” but again, we’ve never had it fail. We did discover to use the good name brand batteries though.
Don’t get me wrong, we still have keys just in case, but holy crap the freedom of mind is great. My partner has severe anxiety and used to check the locks 6+ times a day but it auto locks now and they don’t have to worry about it. I think they only check now before bed.
This goes back over 30 years. Was at a bar with friends after our volleyball league. The bar had two levels, with the second basically a large balcony that over looked the lower floor. We were on the upper level and arranged where I could easily see the tables on the first floor.
A couple caught my attention, as I was people watching and it looked like there was some tension between the two. The woman got up to go the restroom, just as their drinks were being delivered. As soon as she was out of sight the guy put something in her drink. I immediately got up and headed for the restrooms and waited for her to come out. Fortunately, the restrooms were out of direct site of their table.
When she came out I approached her and of course I received the standard; “I have a boyfriend.” I told her I didn’t care about that, but that I witnessed her “boyfriend” putting something in her drink. Then handed her $10 to buy a replacement on me and told her she needed to buy a new drink and not let it out of her sight and that I would not approach her again. I went back to my table.
About 10 minutes later she showed up at my table, handed me my $10 back and told me I probably saved her life. The guy she was with was a new boyfriend and she had been getting bad vibes about him. She pretended to take a sip of her drink, then handed it to her “boyfriend” for him to try it as it was “sooo goood.” He flew into a rage, the got into an argument and he left her at the bar. He was driving. I offered her a ride home. No, I didn’t stay with her, two other people were riding with me that I also had to take home.
She and I did become good friends. She asked me out and we dated a few times, but it was pretty obvious to both of us that it would never work. We stayed friends though and she did meet her husband in my friend group. They got married had a couple of kids, whom I was an official Uncle to. Both their kids are now married and have their own kids (yes, I’m old).
The old “boyfriend” never showed his face again. So I have no idea what happened to him, if anything.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016.
I still remember where I was when I saw that things had mathematically tipped past the point of no return for Hillary. It wasn’t a huge shock to me, but that’s mostly cuz I saw the writing on the wall when Hillary’s entire schtick for a while had been “no worries, we’ve got this, it’s not even a problem.” Democrat victories have historically hinged on whether or not they can motivate people to vote, and Hillary’s entire strategy did the exact opposite of that. Every single person independently went “she’s been saying for months that she already has it in the bag, so why bother voting?” And that led to her losing a lot of votes.
The aftermath of someone being decimated by a truck. That sight belonged in an abbatoir, not on the road.
