His employer You may be able to see everything you are doing on your phone or computer. They might know you are reading this article right now. (Hello!) But how can you be sure?
The companies They have an increasing number of ways to monitor workers. They can collect details of common workplace applications and use monitoring software special to see what is happening in the company WiFi. The goal may be to protect sensitive company information or track employee performance, but There are larger implications for the privacy of the people being watched.
“There’s not a lot of transparency,” said Hayley Tsukayamaassociate director of legislative activism at the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). “Even figuring out what is on your computer can be a big step in deciding how you want to handle it.”
Although there is no foolproof way to know if you are being monitored, some techniques could provide information, according to privacy and security experts.
You are at greater risk of being spied on if you are using a device provided by the company, which offers the least privacy and will ultimately return to your employer, experts say. But you could also be exposed if you downloaded work software on your personal device or use your networks. To be safe, perform these checks on any device or network you use for work.
There are some settings on your smartphones and computers that can allow your workplace to monitor you remotely.
Check if your device has mobile device management software, or MDM, installed. That allows your employer Monitor your activities remotely and take control of devices. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > VPN > Device management. You should see a profile listed if your employer is using the software. On an Android, look for a setting called Device Management Apps (the name of the setting may vary slightly depending on your device). On a Windows laptop, go to Settings > Accounts > Access to Work or School. It’s under Privacy & Security > Profiles on a Mac.
Another way to verify the software used by employersalso called “bossware” is to check what is running in the background on your laptop by checking your task manager or activity monitor, he said Tsukayama. For quick access on PC, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. On a Mac, you can access Activity Monitor by clicking Utilities in the Applications folder. Scroll through the list of running apps and Google those you don’t recognize.
Coworker.org, an organization that seeks to support workers, offers a list of bossware and employment technology to look for. Please note that some programs may be invisible to you, said Tsukayamaciting EFF research.
Look for remote sharing settings, which would allow your employer to control your device remotely, including the microphone and camera, privacy researchers advise Diana Freedintern at the Center Berkman Klein for Internet and Society at Harvard Universityand Julio Povedaa doctoral student at the University of Maryland. On Macs, it will be under System Settings > General > Share. On Windows, it should be under Settings > System.
Finally, check if you are the administrative account for your device. Home screens may ask you to log in as a separate user from the administrator, or your computer may ask you for an administrative password every time you try to download an app. That could indicate your employer has control over your device, he said. Tsukayama.
They are not only hidden apps and settings those who are tracking him. Scroll through all the apps installed on your laptop and investigate any you don’t know about. Which ones regularly ask you to install updates? Are you familiar with what those apps do? Have you ever been asked to install an app to solve problems with the IT department?
“Be curious,” he advised. Tsukayama. “Also look for any app marketing materials you find. **They will often list, as features, the things they can do.”
Check your web browser extensions, recommends Mark Ostrowskiengineering leader at cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies. If you have browser extensions that are part of your company’s security tools, they will probably get noticed, he added. A pop-up could warn you not to put patient information into ChatGPT, for example. Or it could say that it is checking the files you download for malicious content.
While these extensions typically monitor security issues, such as malware or the disclosure of sensitive data, they can also track user habits. If the company decides to audit you, they may see that you spent half the day shopping on amazonsaid Ostrowski.
Also avoid downloading personal extensions in the same licensed browser, he added. Do not download the web extension Garmin in the browser Chrome provided by your company if you do not want your employer to be able to access your training activities..
Using your company’s WiFi or virtual private network (VPN) could also leave you exposed.
Even if you’re on a personal device on a work network, your employer may be able to see activities like messages, browsing activity and social media posts, he said. Ostrowski. Any traffic flowing through a company VPN, which companies often use for security purposes, can also potentially be monitored, they said. Freed and Poveda. Use your personal hotspot instead of company connections for personal activities. You can also use a personal VPN on a personal laptop without company software on work WiFi, Ostrowski said.
Much of what you do is collected by your work applications. Even if you’re not using company devices or networks, your boss could still have an idea of what you’re typing, searching, or saying.
Tools like Microsoft Office, Slack, Google Workplace and Zoom They often track user activity for safety, security, or compliance. But they also allow administrator accounts (i.e. your employer) to retrieve information in some cases.
“Yeah [un empleador] want to see the content of the email you are sending through the corporate account, that can be done today directly between the [proveedor de software] and the company’s security team,” he said Ostrowski. “There is no way for the employee to see that.”
New artificial intelligence technologies are arriving that can offer companies new and more comprehensive surveillance opportunities in the future.
Most Americans oppose the use of AI to evaluate performance (39%), track what people are doing on their computers (51%), and whether workers are at their desks (56 percent), according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.
“Workers do not have many legal rights [aquí],” said Tsukayama. “So you don’t have much basis to resist.”
Review employment policies. Not all employers will describe the surveillance they use, but some will, he said Tsukayama. If you are part of a union, ask for guidance and lean on them when you have concerns. You can also ask the IT department directly.
The best protection? Keep your personal and work data separate. If you’re worried about your employer seeing your child’s photos, sensitive medical information, or flirtatious messages to your partner, keep them off the devices you use for work, if possible. Even if it means carrying two phones with you.
““Once you put it out there, just assume it can be seen,” said Ostrowski.
(c) 2024, The Washington Post
