week 10 (essay)

Is business responsible for employee email privacy?

Definition of e-mail privacy
As Dale and Lewis (2006) referred that e-mail, now, has become one of the most popular communication form that people use, as well as e-mail privacy problem is becoming more serious issue in the world. Before, most of people thought e-mail was the most private communication form in our information age. So the content of messages includes whatever senders want. Indeed, the issue of e-mail privacy has been arisen during last 20 years (Garson, 1995, p.75).However, with more and more employees be fired by employers for e-mail. E-mail privacy issue, especially employee e-mail insecurity, is be concerned in societies. Moreover, e-mail can be read, modified by authorized individuals and unauthorized individuals, even it reaches the destination at the end (Garfinkel et al., 2005, pp.701-10). In addition, it must be related to social responsibility and ethics, as refer to e-mail privacy issue, in the information age (Dhillion, 2002, p2). Therefore, e-mail insecurity has become the center of many search and discussion around employees’ rights and organization’s duty (Dale & Lewis, 2006, p.111).

This essay will analyze the major reasons that business should be responsible for employee e-mail insecurity for firstly. These reasons must be related to business needs. Finally it will describe the other factors contribute to the issue of e-mail privacy.

Organizations’ needs
In this section, it will be divided into three parts, job performance, product quality and the efficiency of computing, and pseudo-impression.
It is clear that e-mail privacy issue increase rapidly due to it is monitored by employers more frequently. It has been argued that ‘E-mail may feel like a private, one-to-one conversation safe from prying eyes, but email is about as confidential as whispering at the White House…’It means employees’ e-mail might be monitored and intercept by managers. The fact, the employers play the most key roles in the issue of e-mail security (Email privacy, 2007, p.1).The survey showed that about 78% of corporations monitor the staff by the same way, and about 50% of employers monitor the employees via e-mail (Electronic surveillance in the workplace, 2001, para.2,6). By the first reason, Brennan and Johnson (2004, p.75) referred that it can make sure whether the staff work hard, whether the staff observe the e-mail policy during business hours, as well as ensure the efficiency of computing via the e-mail is be monitored. The study described that most of employers are requested to sign the e-mail policy that claim e-mail only for work during the business hours when the first work day (Berghel 1997, pp.11-5)

For instance, an employee of Pillsbury was dismissed for sending an e-mail to his colleague, which he thought is very private (Berghel, 1997, pp.11-5). Moreover, two employees were fired by Nissan Motor Corporation, because there was the criticism of manager in their e-mails. (Schumann and Schneid, 1997, p.208). For this case, most of employers explain that employees should not have expectation with e-mail privacy during business hours, because employees use the business e-mail system in companies, and employers pay them for doing work, not for doing personal activities (Email privacy, 2007, p.3).
Furthermore, with checking e-mail increase frequently, the product quality and the efficiency of computing, play another key factor, contribute the e-mail privacy issue arise. The business claims that monitoring e-mail can help the corporations improve the product quality, in order to increase profits due to the increasing of productivity (Sipior & Ward, 1995, p.50). It is viewed that the surveillance of e-mails not only improves the product quality, but also ensure the efficiency of computing directly (Email privacy, 2007, p.3). However, all the employees expect their e-mail, like locked office, is secure. Therefore, as increasing of e-mail be monitored, more and more employees are not satisfied with the policy of companies. In addition, the employees resign for invasion of their e-mails in succession (Sipior & Ward, 1995, p.50).

Conversely, the third key part, employers always make the pseudo-impression to employees. The employees will receive the pin number by employers, in order to protect the personal files, internet access, and e-mail privacy, like the same as locked drawer and office (Guideline on Workplace E-mail, web Browsing and Privacy, 2000, para.5). However, the mails often be intercepted by employers when the staff think e-mail is always private (Weisband & Reinig, 1995, pp.40-1). It causes people did not concern with the problem of e-mail privacy before. Therefore, the issue of e-mail privacy is becoming one of the most serious problems in societies nowadays (Guidelines on Workplace E-mail, Web Browsing and Privacy, 2000, para.5).

From what has been analyzed, it can be said that the business, as the most major factor, should be responsible for employees’ e-mail insecurity. Even though, it can bring more profits for corporations. Organizations have duty for the employees. However, e-mail be monitored by employers is becoming more popular way, the unethical way, to improve the profits, even to operate the corporations. In addition, ensuring job performance, efficiency of computing, as well as improving product quality, as the ‘appropriate reasons’, are promoted by employers.

Other contributors to e-mail privacy
It is argued that the technology, policy, as others reasons, cause the arise of e-mail privacy problem. On the one hand, e-mail is often be read and modified during the transmission procedure between senders and receivers (Guidelines on Workplace E-mail, Web Browsing and Privacy, 2000, para.6). Indeed, the individuals, hackers, and corporations can intercept, modify, and even forge, by computers that the messages touch. Furthermore, they can get users’ IP address by using kinds of technology, in additional know users’ detail and the content of messages (Email Privacy, 2003-2005, para.2). E-mail, as the argue goes, not as ordinary documents, can be kept in e-mail server for many years (Guidelines on Workplace E-mail, Web Browsing and Privacy, 2000, para.7). On the other hand, yet the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) does not publish a clear policy to protect employees’ e-mail privacy. The policy, has been published, claimed that the employers can monitor employees’ e-mail, retrieve and store messages, when the employees agree with that. However, this policy has become another ‘appropriate reason’ for which employer check the staff’s e-mails (Electronic surveillance in the workplace, 2001, para.9).

It is necessary to understand technology and policy can be regarded as following factors causing the problem of e-mail privacy. For this case, technology, as the power of encouraging human’s development, has dark side for societies. Moreover, ECPA should publish a clear rule to protect the employees’ rights.

Summary of argument
To sum up, business can be proved as the key factor contributes to employees e-mail insecurity. In fact, the employers should not make any excuse, as the ‘appropriate reasons’, to monitor the employees’ mail. It is an unethical and irresponsible way to operate the corporations. Furthermore, it appears the contradiction between employees and employers due to e-mail is monitored. For this case, it is not good for development of business. Therefore, business should be responsible for the arising of employees’ e-mail privacy issue, even the increasing of employees e-mail insecurity

Reference list
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Garson, G.D. (1995). Computer Technology and Social Issues. United States of America: Idea Group Publishing.

Garfinkel, S.L., & Margrave, D., & Schiller, J.I., & Nordlander, E., & Miller, R.C. (2005). How to Make Secure Email Easier To Use. Email and Security, 701-710. Retrieved April 21, 2007, from the portal database.

Dhillon, G.S. (2002). Social Responsibility in the Information Age: Issues and Controversies. United States of America: Idea Group Publishing.

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Brennan, L.L, & Johnson, V.E. (2004). Social, Ethical and Policy Implications of Information Technology. United States of America: Information Science Publishing.

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Berghel, H. (1997). Email-The Good, The Bad, and The ugly. COMMUNICATION OF THE ACM, Vol. 40, No.4. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from the portal database.

Schumann, M.S., & Schneid, T.D. (1997). Legal Liability: A Guide for Safety and Loss Prevention Professionals. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen Publishers.

Sipior, J.C., & Ward, B.T. (1995). The Ethical and Legal Quandary of Email Privacy. COMMUNICATION OF THE ACM, Vol.38, No 12. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from the portal database.

Weisband, S.P., & Reinig, B.A. (1995). Managing User. Perceptions of Email Privacy. COMMUNICATION OF THE ACM, Vol.38, No 12. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from the portal database.
Email Privacy. (n.d.). Email Privacy. Info. Retrieved April 21, 2007,from
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Guidelines on Workplace E-mail, Web Browsing and Privacy. (n.d.). THE OFFICE OF THE PRIVACY COMMISSIONER. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from
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