Big brother is watching you...

[Pr⊕phet]

...got new big brother software at work today and my Q was at what lengths do your company go to stop cyber slacking and monitor all your doings and things you do at work ?

for example, as a developer if i need to view few pages on new technologies or implementation of new methodology, i now have to compile a list of urls that are sensed as adult / shopping / forum / emailing each time, post it to help desk and wait for them to auth it so that i can continue to work... Most frustration.

then all things on your pc are sniffed and logged in sql db, even bloody duke3d is known to be installed on your box and played.

-i wonder how many ppl still think that what they are up too at work are anonymous even the anonymous questions you get to fill in, not to mention hooking all print jobs exact details up to file name with your SID...

-i suppose its company job, but to what lengths are they allowed to go ?

[Kosmik]

Some stats for you from the company I work for ( no names obviously ) about email.

Before the audit and monitoring software was installed:

We did approx 20-40Gigs of email a month.

50-60% Spam
30% Friends pictures etc
10% Valid company mails

Now after we've audit and cracked down, the friends,pictures figure is now 2-5%.

I won't go into web stats as they were even a worse story. And before someone says "What about Spam software", yes we use it but I'm talking about traffic actually hitting the mail servers which includes the filtered out spam crap.


To cut a long story short, companies have a right to know where their bandwidth goes and who abuses it. We have a simple policy, you can use the net, just not excessively ( youtube downloads etc ) unless you need to in which case you request permission and your profile is upgraded. A bit of surfing is encouraged but not abuse.

Simple, companies internet , companies rules , if you don't like it - do without.

[Kosmik]

One extra note:

Before you join a company, they are supposed to give you a document that states the companies policy on valid net and mail usage. If they haven't, then they don't really have a leg to stand on. If they have and you have agreed to it , then that is the parameters of which they are allowed to monitor and penalize you for.

[Turiko]

Many companies incl. the one I previously worked for had no such document in place. But they decided to make an example of me anyway!

[The_Librarian]

Ours is pretty slack at the moment when it comes to things like that.

But the moment they will crack down then it'll be time for a vodacom 3g contract...

[Pr⊕phet]

We didnt formally get docs, but i lost 3 hours of work due to awaiting IT to filter updates...

True, its their money spent, but one must *think* before you just go coyboi style and just implement a global template ruleset without correct rule and fix later attitude.

[Pixie22]

Some stats for you from the company I work for ( no names obviously ) about email.

Before the audit and monitoring software was installed:

We did approx 20-40Gigs of email a month.

50-60% Spam
30% Friends pictures etc
10% Valid company mails

Now after we've audit and cracked down, the friends,pictures figure is now 2-5%.

I won't go into web stats as they were even a worse story. And before someone says "What about Spam software", yes we use it but I'm talking about traffic actually hitting the mail servers which includes the filtered out spam crap.


To cut a long story short, companies have a right to know where their bandwidth goes and who abuses it. We have a simple policy, you can use the net, just not excessively ( youtube downloads etc ) unless you need to in which case you request permission and your profile is upgraded. A bit of surfing is encouraged but not abuse.

Simple, companies internet , companies rules , if you don't like it - do without.


and if bandwidth costs the company nothing? Is it still valid?
eg: America, Canada, Japan?

[LoneRanger]

Over and above for the bandwidth (free or not). You are being paid for your time; if you are spending it not working, you are basically stealing.

[Devill]

Ours is pretty slack at the moment when it comes to things like that.

But the moment they will crack down then it'll be time for a vodacom 3g contract...

Aye Im free from "big brother". And it will stay that way if my work keeps being up to date:)

[Turiko]

Ours is pretty slack at the moment when it comes to things like that.

But the moment they will crack down then it'll be time for a vodacom 3g contract...

Thats why at the time I got a 2nd hand iBurst modem but sucks was to be to me- the building had too much metal and I couldn't get signal. Anyhow I resigned and left a few days later.

[TelkomUseless]

They monitor out internet too @ work. Its fine. I put more hours in because 1)traffic 2)when the job requires it I do it.

If they want to moan/limit the internet its fine, then 1)I'll just work 8 hours a day and the problems can wait till tomorrow , 2) just leave.

I KNOW some people will sit and surf Facebook (non working related) etc whole frieking 8 hours , and yes.. that must be stopped, but spending 1 hour tops out of 10+ hours per day... that is fine.

[Pr⊕phet]

They monitor out internet too @ work. Its fine. I put more hours in because 1)traffic 2)when the job requires it I do it.

If they want to moan/limit the internet its fine, then 1)I'll just work 8 hours a day and the problems can wait till tomorrow , 2) just leave.

I KNOW some people will sit and surf Facebook (non working related) etc whole frieking 8 hours , and yes.. that must be stopped, but spending 1 hour tops out of 10+ hours per day... that is fine.

well not like they are going to take away the draconian methodology now, i've made peace with it and well project on hold till i can go on with my work or what ever was blocked.

i don't as much have a problem on why its done its how it was done, just WHAM! we have you now, no warning, no letters, no trail and no thoroughly thinking it through.

i mean, blocking *.exe is pathetic which for one thing made ms's downloading being sensed as mp3's....

...but 7+ emails later with each new url and file to IT, i saw later on that * from ms was allowed :D

[AutoX]

no slack at all :)

[Pr⊕phet]

my initial Q, was however to what lengths are they allowed to go to protect their interests ?

[Turiko]

By the way, what if the company that implements big brother, is actually so stupid and all the usage stats are exposed to the www?

[TelkomUseless]

well not like they are going to take away the draconian methodology now, i've made peace with it and well project on hold till i can go on with my work or what ever was blocked.

i don't as much have a problem on why its done its how it was done, just WHAM! we have you now, no warning, no letters, no trail and no thoroughly thinking it through.

i mean, blocking *.exe is pathetic which for one thing made ms's downloading being sensed as mp3's....

...but 7+ emails later with each new url and file to IT, i saw later on that * from ms was allowed :D
It's insane how they implementent the system !