INNOCENT emails sent in work time could soon be used to decide if workers are potential thieves, industrial spies or troublemakers. Designed to tackle workplace cybercrime, the program is the brainchild of computer experts working for the United States military and soon may be available for any company or institution to download free from the internet.
The software scans through every email sent by a worker and looks for patterns of words – or absences of words – that reveal clues about their personality. The system relies on the assumption that the riskiest employees for crime are those who are disgruntled, alienated and fed-up.
The spyware is controversial because it brands employees as potential threats before they have done anything wrong. Privacy provisions are relevant in Australia but in most parts of the US, it is legal to scan emails using software.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23040447-5013522,00.html, 22/01/2008
The potential for the erosion of employee privacy via email scanning (and web browser scanning) may concern some staff.