Forum Moderators: phranque
I wanted to see if anyone knows that the answer to this.
BACKGROUND
While at work I access my gmail and yahoo email accounts. My employer has provided me a corporate email account for business reasons.
I do send and recieve email in my gmail and yahoo accounts while at work. So, while at work I am using the companies network, internet connection and computer system.
I replied back to a potential employer while at work. I sent my resume via my gmail account, again while at work.
QUESTION
While using my gmail or yahoo email account. Does my employer have aceess or can they view the persona emails that travels through their newtwork or servers?
Can they store these messages, legally?
Thank you for your replys!
The basic answer is yes, your employer would technically be able to get read messages sent by webmail services - not necessarily because they can directly access those services with your password, but because if the computer you are using was installed, configured and remains under the administrative control of your employer, you don't know what services they are running.
A simple example, and one which would give away everything: your employer could have installed a "keylogger": in other words, he could have a record of every keystroke you type, including personal emails, passwords, etc. Combined with your browsing history (easily collected at the corporate firewall), they have everything. At the very least, if they have your browsing history, they can see that you've been checking personal sites whilst at work. Whether this kind of activity is legal or not depends on where you live, but the risks of them getting caught are slim to non-existent.
If you don't trust your employer, and you don't trust the machine you are using, then don't use it for anything that you wouldn't want your boss to see. When you get home, change your webmail passwords!
Since I work for an Internet Security Company I can bet on that they have my old passwords.
Again thank you!
I have permission from my employer to check my personal emails while at work but I personally believe that the above is taking a liberty with your employer. I think I would have replied that I would send my resume when I returned home later that day.
Whether this kind of activity is legal or not depends on where you live, but the risks of them getting caught are slim to non-existent.
Also, companies may have you sign an agreement when you start working for them giving them permission to monitor anything you do on their servers/network. Typical of banks and financial institutions, and it tends to get mixed in with all the other "new hire" paperwork.
If you work for an internet security company you can bet that they know as much detail about your personal use of their network as they care to find out!
