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From: aouriri@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP (Chedley Aouriri)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: computer security, privacy, and ethics
Message-ID: <1682@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Jun-85 09:53:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: ittvax.1682
Posted: Thu Jun 13 09:53:08 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Jun-85 06:40:08 EDT
References: <250@phri.UUCP> <872@daemon.UUCP>
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Organization: ITT-ATC, Shelton Ct.
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> In article <250@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
> >
> >	Recently, the issue has come up where I work of privacy with
> >respect to computer files.  I am not talking about the technical aspects of
> >protecting your files, but the ethical aspects of what rights you have to
> >keep you files private.
> >
> >	Consider the following situation: you have an account on your
> >employer's computer system.  Some of the files you keep on the system are
> >business related, some are personal.  How much right does your employer
> >have to have access to your files?  What about your co-workers?  Your
> >immediate supervisor?  Under what conditions may they exercize those
> >rights?  How far do those rights extend?  What right do you have to be
> >informed of searches of your files by your employer?  What right do you
> >have to supervise those searches?

Several companies have an explicitly written policy stating that
ALL files stored on the company's computers are company property.
In those companies, many employees encrypt their personal files
with a hard to break encryption algorithm. Thus, they can keep
their personal files without worring about would be pokers, and
without violating the company's policy.
This seems to work pretty well for both parties.