Data Theft and Electronic Monitoring of Employees
As more company information is saved electronically there is an increase in the theft of this data. Data theft is a huge problem for every company regardless of size or location. Corporations lose billions of dollars per year as a result of data theft. Companies must be diligent in guarding against this threat. The problem is that data thieves (hackers) may come from outside a company or they may be a company’s own employees.
Monitoring for potential theft by outside hackers typically does not raise privacy concerns. Yet various modes of monitoring a company’s employees may provoke such concerns. The courts have been slow to address these privacy concerns and often differ in their opinions depending on the location and make-up of the appellate courts.
Employers must keep a vigilant eye on the decisions of the state and federal courts in regard to the monitoring of their employees. Otherwise they risk violating privacy rights and this can be a costly mistake.
Learning Links
- Companies do not report hacking - [worksheet]
- Foreign countries are hacking companies - [worksheet]
- How to avoid employee data theft - [worksheet]
- General data theft and e-discovery [worksheet]
- Motorola employee receives 4 years for theft of trade secrets - [worksheet]
*Worksheets are provided to assist your learning, check to the right of the link to see if a [worksheet] is available.
Page last modified December 16, 2012
