Work spy software

I'm not one to go against work productivity enhancing implementations, but I do have a question about some software that was installed on our work computers recently that allows the owner to see snapshots of out desktops that are taken throughout the day. Is this sort of software legal? I know he owns the company and all of the computers in it, but I think I heard about this a few years ago and I was surprised about the legal outcome.

Discuss.

(This was written on my phone, BTW. LOL)

legal if they provide the machine to you (at their location) AND they informed you (either in writing of your contract, by email, pop-up box, however) that you were being monitored.

Get tlist.exe and kill.exe. If kill.exe won't get it, then using tlist.exe or the task manager, get the process ID, say 1234, open a command window (start run cmd) and type:

ntsd -p 1234 -c "q"

where "1234" is the process ID (PID on the "Process" tab of task manager) of whatever ap it is, and you got the process ID from task manager or tlist.exe. Let that sucker run and - woops, I dunno, that process must have stopped itself or something.

We were told by someone who knew unofficially. Were not supposed to talk about it.

I don't like the idea, but ...

Their computer + their internet connection + your time, for which they pay you = their interest.

Is there an expectation of privacy at your desk? Probably not.

Could an employee's online activity on company equipment and company time expose them to legal consequences? Probably yes.

I caught flak for routinely cleaning up my computer files, like a good geek. Seems the IT guy liked to see what had been googled lately. So, now I occasionally clean the files, then do searches for his name and assorted fun phrases:

"john doe eats it" "john doe is a weinie"

I'm such a rebel.

Hess, you're sinister!

slantvaliant wrote: Their computer + their internet connection + your time, for which they pay you = their interest.

My employer reminds us of this same stuff and I cannot disagree with them.

yup.. welcome to "time theft" study..

I once went out with a girl whose job was to go into the "forbidden" sites that people look up at work, print them out and then fire people over it. She's the only person I know who could look at pr0n at work.

Dr. Hess wrote: Get tlist.exe and kill.exe. If kill.exe won't get it, then using tlist.exe or the task manager, get the process ID, say 1234, open a command window (start run cmd) and type: ntsd -p 1234 -c "q" where "1234" is the process ID (PID on the "Process" tab of task manager) of whatever ap it is, and you got the process ID from task manager or tlist.exe. Let that sucker run and - woops, I dunno, that process must have stopped itself or something.

And make sure it doesn't come right back after you kill it.

Since the IT department has performed an act of war against you, a cool trick (although it would be a bit time-consuming to pull off) would be to move your current hard drive to a virtual machine disk image, then install a new OS on the computer (Ubuntu so you don't have to spend money/pirate) And then run your work computer as it's own cute little virtual machine! (Virtualbox)

Aww look at it run on it's little wheel

Seriously, if you're good with computers you could stay late for an hour and a half for 2-3 days and pull it off. Just be sure to set the "VM key" to something obscure like Scroll Lock.

They must tell you. period.

99.99999999999% of the time it's in your acceptable use agreement

Is this sort of software legal?

According to Clark Howard: Yes. Now GET BACK TO WORK, SLACKER!!!