Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: TELECOM Moderator Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Class Action Suit Against Epson Charges Email Spying Message-ID: <11351@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 25 Aug 90 21:12:56 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 45 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 596, Message 8 of 8 Several employees of Epson America have filed a class action suit against their employer, accusing Epson of spying on them for several months by monitoring thousands of their electronic messages. According to the suit, Epson's computer operations manager made printed copies of electronic mail sent and/or received by 700 workers. The plaintiffs claim this type of act violates a state wiretap law. Epson responds that the suit is entirely unfounded, and I agree with that assessment. The right to privacy in email or on the telephone means privacy on computers *you own or control* (i.e. lease or rent a mailbox, etc), and on telephone lines *you pay for*. Whoever legally controls the computer controls the information on it. Obviously if you lease a mailbox from MCI Mail, then you legally control that part of the MCI computer. If you subscribe to phone service, then you are entitled to privacy on *your phone and line*. If the Epson employees can demonstrate that their employer granted them the right to receive and send personal mail, then a case might be made in their favor. But I doubt any such right was given. And if the email is all business related, then what gives the employees the right to say their employer cannot supervise or review their work? Likewise with telephones: Your employer has the legal right to monitor your business phone calls to evaluate your performance, etc. If you do not like him listening to your personal calls, then a counter-question would be in order: why are your personal phone calls being made on company phone facilities? Use the payphone in the cafeteria. Use your own MCI Mail or ATT Mail account to send and receive personal stuff. Don't complain because the owner of the equipment wants to see how it is being used. The Epson employees deserve to lose this suit, and I hope the court requires them to compensate their employer for his expense in defending it. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V10 #596 ******************************