General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMany years ago, before social media, before the internet
before even PC (personal computers, that is) we used terminals connected to the main frame.
And I remember someone from our legal dept. warned us to watch what we put in our emails; that they might be subpoenaed (our employer was often involved in litigation, about patents).
I was reminded of this when the exchange between Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
Yes, many use their "devices" around the clock, for both business and personal. They should not.
Kilgore
(1,733 posts)And those of us that do, have to sit through a mandatory training session by our legal department on this very topic.
My personal policy is that I dont use it for anything but business.
lapfog_1
(29,244 posts)I never check my personal email on them, I never call or get called by personal friends or family on them.
The only things that I do with these devices is work related.
I carry my own smart phone and my own laptop for personal stuff.
And, had I been an FBI agent having an affair with someone, I would have purchased a burner phone for that purpose... probably kept it at my desk at work and carried it on me only when safe... and possibly I would have gotten a casino safety deposit box to keep it in... why casino? Because they are usually open 24 x 7, they keep bad records of box entry... and the worst thing your spouse would think is that you developed a gambling habit, which, if the cash loses were minimum (as in near zero) he or she might not even care.
question everything
(47,616 posts)I used one. So I wonder whether this should not be used, too.
And, when another employer was in the middle of major layoffs, the ones who visited porn sites were the first to go.
When I would use a company computer for word documents, it would be from a floppy disk, never keep it on the company computer.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,931 posts)as their only email.
Not a good idea, guys. Use the work email for work stuff. Log out of that and use a personal email for personal stuff, if you must email while you're at work.
I've lived a kind of sheltered life, and only once, about 8 or so years ago, had a job where I had a work email. I was genuinely bothered by the fact that co-workers would email all with jokes. The jokes weren't particularly offensive, but it was the mass emailing aspect that bothered me. Once and only once in the six weeks I worked there did I use the work email to send a personal email, and I felt incredibly guilty and figured I'd be fired for that. But every other time I wanted to send a personal email from work I logged into my own personal email.
Here's another problem with using your work email as your personal email: at some point you won't be there anymore. And if you leave suddenly, or even if you leave with two months' notice, you are going to need to spend some serious time scrubbing emails and making sure you've transferred all the email addresses you use to a personal account.
BigmanPigman
(51,675 posts)We were advised to spread the word among the teaching staff to be sure to use school computers for business only since the school district was trying to save money by pink slipping or firing teachers and this was one way they could do it legally.
genxlib
(5,547 posts)Business versus personal use depends on company policy and can be harmless. My company allows personal use provided it doesn't violate certain standards or overuse resources. Streaming porn is not allowed for content and data usage. But a text about picking up groceries is not a problem.
The real issue is content. Whether you are on personal or business devices, just don't say anything that will get you into trouble. I have a firm policy. Never write an email that I wouldn't want to see in the newspaper and never take a picture I wouldn't want my mother to see.
question everything
(47,616 posts)a sense of privacy, or even of modesty, many really no longer care what is known about them and by whom.