Internet Usage Monitoring in the Workplace: Its Legal Challenges and Implementation Strategies

ABSTRACT

With the introduction of any new technology, there is also the potential for its misuse, yet no U.S. federal or state statute currently prohibits employers from monitoring their electronic workplace. In this article, we review surveillance technologies and discuss the related federal and state laws along with U.S. judicial decisions. Implementation strategies to help employers defuse or avoid the negative aspects of monitoring are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• ethical and legal issues
• human resource management
• Internet technologies
• privacy issues
• employment law
• Internet policy