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11:06 am

Employers monitor outgoing e-mail

I dont have to worry because I'm no longer employed outside the home. But some of you should know this about a company's right to view your emails.

6/13/2005 7:00 PM
By: Annette Newell, News 14 Carolina

Companies estimate almost one in four outgoing e-mails poses a legal, financial or regulatory risk.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Incoming e-mail often causes concern because of the dangers of computer viruses. But new research shows some companies are even more concerned about the dangers of outgoing e-mail messages.

Vice President and General Manager Pat O'Brien explains how each of several cages at Charlotte's Peak 10 Data Center Solutions holds one company's information. The information includes e-mails that dozens of companies are reading and screening. The messages are from their own employees.

Research of more than 300 companies found that more than a third will hire staff to read or analyze outbound e-mail.
“You have to have a grip around what your employees are sending, who they're sending it to and why they're sending it,� O’Brien said.

Research of more than 300 companies found that more than a third will hire staff to read or analyze outbound e-mail. Companies estimate almost one in four outgoing e-mails poses a legal, financial or regulatory risk, and more than one in four have fired an employee for violating e-mail policies in the last year.

Michael Byrnes is the CEO of Charlotte-based M3 Technology Group, an e-mail provider for companies. He says many companies have to save e-mails because of laws passed since the Enron and WorldCom scandals.

“They are required in many cases – by law if they're a public company – to review those e-mails and store those e-mails for sometimes up to three years,� Byrnes said.

That advice does not just apply to your PC users; employers are also entitled to monitor messages sent with a Blackberry.
Technology researchers estimate that by next year, American businesses will be sending out 35 billion e-mails every day, meaning e-mail is actually more important to business now than phone service.

That means all employees need to think twice before clicking “send."

“The e-mail that you're using – your company's e mail – is not yours,� Byrnes said. “It's the company's and the company has every right to read and access that e-mail.�

“Everything you ever needed to learn you learned in kindergarten: Leave things as you found them, don't send out things you don't think other people should find out about your company or about employees and don't send rumors out,� O’Brien said.

That advice does not just apply to your PC users. Employers are also entitled to monitor messages sent with a Blackberry.

Web Journalist: Mike Cartelli