By now, many employees are uncomfortably aware that their every keystroke at work, from email on office computers to text messages on company phones, can be monitored legally by their employers.
What employees typically don't expect is for the company to spy on them while on password-protected sites using nonwork computers. But even that privacy could be in jeopardy.
One critical issue is whether what an individual says online can be considered private. What if it’s meant to be broadcast at large, say on an unprotected blog? Seems like the expectation of privacy might be low (although the expectation that one’s free speech might be protected could be high, excluding any conduct that might have been proscribed in an employment agreement).
What if, then the individual attempted to blog anonymously? Or what if the blog was protected or restricted to invited users? Is a Facebook group or profile a protected, private space—does it qualify as a place for private communication between people?
Employers Watching Workers Online Spurs Privacy Debate - WSJ.com
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