Man Sacked For Looking For Knockers On Work Lap Top At Home
HOW private is your work computer? In Australia an employee of the Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism has been sacked from searching for the term “knockers” on his company laptop.
He was at home. He was not working on company time. He was even using his own isp to look for “knockers”, which, though an arcane term for breasts, remains legal pornography.
The man was caught out by a programme called Spector360. It “automatically captures all employee Internet and desktop activity whether they are in the office, traveling or working remotely on both.”
The man takes the matter to court. He claims the programme was a “gross” breach of his privacy and the department had given him the laptop for personal use.
The company argued that the porn might accidentally be accessed by anyone using the computer at work.
The judge dismissed the complaint and added insult to injury by ordering the man to pay his former employer’s costs.
But he added this:
“Some might think that the resources of the Commonwealth could be much better utilised on activities apart from the zealous pursuit [of the public servant] over something he did in his own home which was not against the law.”
Your view?
Posted: 4th, February 2011 | In: Technology Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
