MS Outlook privacy question

[wolosp]

My company uses MS Outlook 2000, and something was said recently by a manager that makes colleagues suspect he has visibility of individual's email activity or content. Is this possible without high-level authorisation - or is it possible at all?
We already know that he had amended a d-list to include himself without telling us.

[TheHobbit]

if the guys that look after your exchange server have added him to the relevant areas and have given him the permissions, then sure, he can look at anything in your mailbox. have you signed anything to say your mail can be monitored??

IIRC you can be asked to do this, as its the company mail server (at the end of the day), and you represent them in your activities, and so they can ask you to agree to them auditing/monitoring it.... but if you've signed nothing, I don't believe they can do it.

all IMHO, and I could be wrong about the second bit of course.

edited to add: speak to MrsHobbit next wed at the meet.... being a personnel manager, she knows more about the legalities of this sort of contracty stuff than me....

>> Edited by TheHobbit on Thursday 25th March 15:23

[wolosp]

Hi Karl,
Thanks for the reply...just looked at the Employee Handbook, "Management has the right to access, monitor, review, copy, delete any disclose and Employee e-mail...with or without prior notice".
I thought that would just be the IT management rather than 'normal' departmental management - but I guess he can apply for authorisation.
Hmm...you've got to watch your backs nowadays don't you!

>> Edited by wolosp on Thursday 25th March 15:31

[TheHobbit]

wolosp said:

Hi Karl, Thanks for the reply...just looked at the Employee Handbook, "Management has the right to access, monitor, review, copy, delete any disclose and Employee e-mail...with or without prior notice". I thought that would just be the IT management rather than 'normal' departmental management - but I guess he can apply for authorisation. Hmm...you've got to watch your backs nowadays don't you! >> Edited by wolosp on Thursday 25th March 15:31

certainly do!

we have content control here as well, that silently whips a copy of anything rude or offensive off to the security bods to have a look at.....

[andyps]

Pretty sure that the law allows employers to monitor the email/we/telephone usage of employees regardless of contract.

[TheHobbit]

andyps said:

Pretty sure that the law allows employers to monitor the email/we/telephone usage of employees regardless of contract.

I thought they had to at least tell you in your terms and conditions.... I'll check with MrsHobbit later.....

[agent006]

If you're using exchange i'm fairly sure that any permissions added on the server-side will show up on your permissions list in outlook.

[TheHobbit]

TheHobbit said:

andyps said: Pretty sure that the law allows employers to monitor the email/we/telephone usage of employees regardless of contract. I thought they had to at least tell you in your terms and conditions.... I'll check with MrsHobbit later.....

Right. MrsHobbit says: They can monitor and audit your email (or anything else for that matter, if they can justify it being for the good of the company/security etc), but they must tell you and make it part of your T&C. She says she will dig out a web link to the official stuff for you

[abels]

agent006 said:

If you're using exchange i'm fairly sure that any permissions added on the server-side will show up on your permissions list in outlook.

Not necessarily. If the permissions are set a server level and not client level, then the end user can not view it.

[wolosp]

Thanks for your replies chaps - I've checked my Outlook permissions and there is only the defauls (i.e. owner) settings in there.
Thanks in advance to MrsHobbit - it is only a suspicion that emails are/have been tracked, but if we get any more strange comments from this guy I think an approach to HR en masse will be in order to see if it is in fact happening and if so, what the reason for granting this access was.

[TheHobbit]

wolosp said:

Thanks for your replies chaps - I've checked my Outlook permissions and there is only the defauls (i.e. owner) settings in there. Thanks in advance to MrsHobbit - it is only a suspicion that emails are/have been tracked, but if we get any more strange comments from this guy I think an approach to HR en masse will be in order to see if it is in fact happening and if so, what the reason for granting this access was.

MrsHobbit has a small rain forest for you
See you wednesday....