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can my employer see what web sites I visit

It's your companies phone, be a professional and wait until you get home to venture into the seedier side of life. Then you only have your wife, significant other, or whatever to worry about.
 
Some of you aren't getting it.

I'm dealing with the same thing.

I have my own iPhone, but just found out that I'll be getting a company iPhone here very shortly. I will not be carrying around 2 phones and I have no choice in the matter of carrying the company phone.

So, my text to my GF after work, or on the weekends are now legally allowed to be monitored?

I get that when at work I can't surf porn on company computers.
I get that when I am working, and using the company phone I should be using it for work, but phones are by nature very personal so I think we should have privacy when it comes to company phones to some degree.
 
Anyone who visits XXX sites on work computers anyway deserves to be fired and their stupidity handed to them on a silver platter.
 
Surely a "Company" iPhone is provided to employees to be used for Company business - just like a Company car.

However, the majority of companies have no objection to their cars being used out of working hours for "Reasonable private usage", I should imagine the same premise would be applied to Company 'phones.

Understandably, there are always some people who try to abuse the system!
 
Learjet035 said:
So, my text to my GF after work, or on the weekends are now legally allowed to be monitored?
Click to expand...

From a legal context: it depends. For now.

There was a recent Supreme Court decision (early June of 2010, in fact) that said if you are a public servant using a device owned by your employer, then yes, your text messages and traffic CAN be monitored and retrieved by that public agency that owns the equipment you're using, even after hours, IF the search "was motivated by a legitimate work-related purpose" and "not excessive in scope." A reasonable suspicion by the public employer that you might be surfing for porn, or running up the phone bill by texting your significant other more than you text co-workers and business contacts, counts as a legit motivation.

However, that ruling applies to public, government and quasi-government agencies. The question has not been specifically answered yet when it comes to the private sector.

BUT... if I were to have to place my bets on where such a case would go, I would play it safe and assume that if the Supreme Court had to answer the question some day (and it very well might), it would say the same thing about private companies.



I get that when at work I can't surf porn on company computers.
I get that when I am working, and using the company phone I should be using it for work, but phones are by nature very personal
Click to expand...


They are very personal when you are paying for your phone and service. They are not so much when your employer is paying for it. The presumed expectation is that your employer isn't just paying for your phone out of the goodness of its heart, and that it expects you're using that phone for work purposes. The common reasoning that employers give for such monitoring is that they want to be certain you're not using resources they pay for to conduct activities that don't benefit them (or may even be detrimental to them).

I have my own iPhone, but just found out that I'll be getting a company iPhone here very shortly. I will not be carrying around 2 phones and I have no choice in the matter of carrying the company phone.
Click to expand...

It's unfortunate that they aren't giving you the choice to not carry their iPhone. However, if you don't want there to be ANY question about whether your boss can read your texts to your gf, then you're going to need to keep carrying your personal iPhone, and use ONLY it for your personal communications.
 
Thanks for that link.

Seems like such a grey area.

To throw another wrench into the mix, I've heard that we may now be responsible for paying for half of the phone bill.
Strange I know, but then if I'm paying half for it, then who's phone is it?

Better to play it safe I know, but no one is perfect, and I don't want to have to worry every time I open or send an email on the company phone.
 
Making you pay for half of a phone bill that you did not ask to have does not seem right. After all, you already have a cell phone and a cell phone contract. My husband has a work cell phone, and he just has to carry two phones during working hours. Something else to look into is the cost of texting your girlfriend. My husbands company (and it's a big one) does not get any of the package type deals as the phones are on corporate accounts. That means that they pay per minute and per text for phone usage.
 
iphonehead said:
I'm not doing anything illegal or criminal. I just occasionally check out a xxx site.
Click to expand...

Your company likely issued the phone that is also attached to a company IT policy. You should reacquaint yourself with that and understand your rights. In the US I guarantee you that they have every right to take that phone at any point. Whether they can figure out that your rubbing one out while watching porn on their phone is another story. I doubt they'd be able to find out if you cleared your history and cache. They could dig around but companies don't usually have the manpower to truly dig into a phone like that unless there is cause.

If you're old enough to be issued a phone by your company then you're old enough to know that you should be using the phone for work and not for whacking off.
 
Advice Please: What would YOU do?

I have another permutation of this, and would appreciate feedback.

My employer, a state agency, does not have a WiFi network. I've always been cautious on web use, and have a clean record, so to speak. Recently I was in a long meeting held in a conference room there where the moderator had permission to use a WiFi router during the meeting. I had my personal iPhone and actually used it on the WiFi to research some creative mobile web designs, purpose of the meeting.

By mid afternoon I was zoning out, and started looking at other web sites. I did not realize that I had not disconnected from the WiFi, thinking I was on my own 3G. You can see where this is going.

Actually, I did not go to any XXX sites, the worst was Backpage where, off and on, I became somewhat fascinated by the adult ads, prowling around the various ads for dominatrixes, escorts, and massage parlors.

All of a sudden, I realized the WiFi symbol was showing, and now I'm worried I'm in trouble. My bad, I know. But, nevertheless, may I ask:

- I think they use some software that checks against bad sites; is Backpage likely to be one that's flagged?
- I think they may use IP address from the filter s/w and enter it to go look at the accessed page(s); would that still return a specific page viewed on Backpage some days or weeks after the fact!
- Can they tell it was an iPhone?
- Can they tell it was MY personal iPhone?

Finally, what would YOU do under the circumstances? Go to the IT security guy and throw yourself on his mercy?

Thanks!
 
calvy said:
I disagree with this. There's no red tape involved where I work. If you are using a company owned asset on company property on company time, you have no right to privacy. Then again, I do work at AT&T.

And to the OP, the bottom line is that your iPhone is a company owned asset that is provided to you for your job functions. Legally, they have every right to monitor it and watch what you are doing on it. However, technically, you'd have to be going through their network for them to monitor it. If you are going over 3g or your wifi connection at home, don't worry about. However, don't go through a VPN or otherwise company owned network to your favorite porn site unless you want the IT department and president(s) all knowing about it. And if they have phsyical access to it, just make sure you delete any texts or safari history you don't want them to see.
Click to expand...


I think he is talking about internal red tape. No legal red tape.

Can they spy yes. Now is IT security going to do it. More than likely not because it is more trouble than it is worth to go threw the internal red tape to get permission to do it.

It not something they really like to do to often because when it is done it really pissed employees off.
I know at work I had some personal emails that were sent to me and ones I sent out. Nothing that I would really care if the company saw.

Examples of personal emails was bill pay reminders, bible study group emails, email to and from my parents asking them for something I need or want to know. But anything I really would not want someone else reading that sure has hell went threw my personal account.

Pretty much everything just needs to be with in reason and they are not going to care.
 
olhipy said:
I have another permutation of this, and would appreciate feedback.

My employer, a state agency, does not have a WiFi network. I've always been cautious on web use, and have a clean record, so to speak. Recently I was in a long meeting held in a conference room there where the moderator had permission to use a WiFi router during the meeting. I had my personal iPhone and actually used it on the WiFi to research some creative mobile web designs, purpose of the meeting.

By mid afternoon I was zoning out, and started looking at other web sites. I did not realize that I had not disconnected from the WiFi, thinking I was on my own 3G. You can see where this is going.

Actually, I did not go to any XXX sites, the worst was Backpage where, off and on, I became somewhat fascinated by the adult ads, prowling around the various ads for dominatrixes, escorts, and massage parlors.

All of a sudden, I realized the WiFi symbol was showing, and now I'm worried I'm in trouble. My bad, I know. But, nevertheless, may I ask:

- I think they use some software that checks against bad sites; is Backpage likely to be one that's flagged?
- I think they may use IP address from the filter s/w and enter it to go look at the accessed page(s); would that still return a specific page viewed on Backpage some days or weeks after the fact!
- Can they tell it was an iPhone?
- Can they tell it was MY personal iPhone?

Finally, what would YOU do under the circumstances? Go to the IT security guy and throw yourself on his mercy?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If I was you I would say nothing and assume they never find out.

Chances are really good that they are not monitor web usage that heavy. It is a hell of a lot more trouble than it is worth. The only time it really is done is if somebody is doing something bad and it raises other red flags.

Remember they have more important things to do with their time than to find someone surfing around on the net including looking at porn.
Also they can not trace it back any farther than the wifi router as they did not control that router.
 
PoitNarf said:
Text messages? Only if they have physical access to the device.

Websites? Yes, but only if you go through your employers network or are VPN'd into work on the iPhone. When you're on a network not managed by your employer they can't monitor what sites you're going to.

Good practice is to always leave the personal stuff off of your work phone or computer.
Click to expand...

Not true, if the phone is on their corporate account, they can call the carrier and get a report of all the texts.

iMetalG5 said:
V=Virtual
P=Private
N=Network

meaning you are connected to your company's network. The company I work for has an IT security dept. but they have better things to do than play big bro. Can they do it, of course, will they? nah. there is red tape to get permission to "spy" on an employee, you'd have to be doing some really bad things. It goes through Concerned Manager -----> HR -----> Internal Investigations -----> IT Security -----> Internal Investigations ----> HR

so to play it safe NEVER use your companies network for personal things. sure surf the web at work, do some banking, check stocks, emails but the thing is don't do anything you don't mind letting the world to see/know.
Click to expand...

You make a lot of assumptions and it's typically not this bad. I've been in some companies where there's no red tape, I'm currently in a large company where there was no red tape, but being the messaging admin, I'm adding 1 level of red tape (HR must provide permission). Before I req'd this, anybody could ask and get access to whatever they wanted.

PoitNarf said:
Absolutely. It all goes back to this though, don't use a company owned phone or computer with any data that anyone has potential privacy concerns about.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY!

iphonehead said:
I'm not doing anything illegal or criminal. I just occasionally check out a xxx site.
Click to expand...

Seriously?! Keep it in your pants till you get home and have your home computer to whack off to. WOW.
 
Can my work check my iPhone sites

So I have been reading these replies and I don't know that I have a definitive answer yet.

My company iPhone is my work iPhone...not by choice (yes, I know I could go get another phone).

I never ever connect through Wifi or VPN, only through the 3G network.

My question is, is my work somehow able to see what applications I have on my phone or what kind of content is sent either over these applications or through general text messaging?
 
huskers015 said:
So I have been reading these replies and I don't know that I have a definitive answer yet.

My company iPhone is my work iPhone...not by choice (yes, I know I could go get another phone).

I never ever connect through Wifi or VPN, only through the 3G network.

My question is, is my work somehow able to see what applications I have on my phone or what kind of content is sent either over these applications or through general text messaging?
Click to expand...


The correct answer is... maybe. I could if I chose to.

So, since everyone's here speculating about what IT may or may not, or can do I'l tell you since I'm lead IT engineer for a company you would all recognize.
You have a company issued phone:
I have a copy of every email sent and received from your device in perpetuity. Your company mailbox too..
If you use a company network I can track your every click. I can get your data usage from our provider for 3G
I can get your text records at will.
I maintain database logs of all call's you've made and their duration
I have a full inventory of what's on your phone, and can lock it or brick it at will.
I can GPS track your location if I need to.
That's just for starters.

Now that said, I have no qualms with doing any of it if asked by HR or Security, and I get those requests on occasion. It's OUR phone, you're just using it, therefore any data that moves across it is ours to do with what we please. Do I peruse that data randomly? Heck no. I could give a rats behind what you do with it unless I'm asked by a higher authority to supply the info at which time I do. And there's nothing illegal about it in the US.
 
calvy said:
I disagree with this. There's no red tape involved where I work. If you are using a company owned asset on company property on company time, you have no right to privacy. Then again, I do work at AT&T.

And to the OP, the bottom line is that your iPhone is a company owned asset that is provided to you for your job functions. Legally, they have every right to monitor it and watch what you are doing on it. However, technically, you'd have to be going through their network for them to monitor it. If you are going over 3g or your wifi connection at home, don't worry about. However, don't go through a VPN or otherwise company owned network to your favorite porn site unless you want the IT department and president(s) all knowing about it. And if they have phsyical access to it, just make sure you delete any texts or safari history you don't want them to see.
Click to expand...

This. If you want to screw around on company time, at least do it on your own phone.
 
jessica. said:
Your company likely issued the phone that is also attached to a company IT policy. You should reacquaint yourself with that and understand your rights. In the US I guarantee you that they have every right to take that phone at any point. Whether they can figure out that your rubbing one out while watching porn on their phone is another story. I doubt they'd be able to find out if you cleared your history and cache. They could dig around but companies don't usually have the manpower to truly dig into a phone like that unless there is cause.

If you're old enough to be issued a phone by your company then you're old enough to know that you should be using the phone for work and not for whacking off.
Click to expand...

Seriously. I'm not going to be pretend I've never gotten my rocks off at work, but I use this thing we had when I was a kid called "imagination." Try it out sometime, no one but you can track it and you don't have to worry about getting fired for doing something stupid with company assets. Would you look at porn on your work computer? The phone is just an extension of that.
 
Thanks for the reply CCrew. I do not ever use the companies network for anything. I am always connected through my carrier, At&T, on the 3G. Is what you are saying STILL the case?


Ccrew said:
The correct answer is... maybe. I could if I chose to.

So, since everyone's here speculating about what IT may or may not, or can do I'l tell you since I'm lead IT engineer for a company you would all recognize.
You have a company issued phone:
I have a copy of every email sent and received from your device in perpetuity. Your company mailbox too..
If you use a company network I can track your every click. I can get your data usage from our provider for 3G
I can get your text records at will.
I maintain database logs of all call's you've made and their duration
I have a full inventory of what's on your phone, and can lock it or brick it at will.
I can GPS track your location if I need to.
That's just for starters.

Now that said, I have no qualms with doing any of it if asked by HR or Security, and I get those requests on occasion. It's OUR phone, you're just using it, therefore any data that moves across it is ours to do with what we please. Do I peruse that data randomly? Heck no. I could give a rats behind what you do with it unless I'm asked by a higher authority to supply the info at which time I do. And there's nothing illegal about it in the US.
Click to expand...
 
olhipy said:
Finally, what would YOU do under the circumstances? Go to the IT security guy and throw yourself on his mercy?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've worked for some large corps in the past. In general if IT catches you it's a slap on the wrist, but if there is an HR complaint, you're out. I assume that you didn't get caught ;).

BTW - if a device is managed via the Enterprise Deployment Tool, IT could have much more visibility into what your doing.
 
huskers015 said:
Thanks for the reply CCrew. I do not ever use the companies network for anything. I am always connected through my carrier, At&T, on the 3G. Is what you are saying STILL the case?
Click to expand...


It's still the case if I need to take it to that level, yes. Keep in mind here, I have like 900 company phones in the field. If I call (Sprint in our case) and tell them I need all traffic data for a particular phone, I can get it.

But like err404 said. I'm not looking for it. But if there's a complaint of any kind you can bet that data is available. So - if HR gets a complaint, if there's any sort of official investigation, if you boss get's a hard on and is looking for an excuse to fire you then that data is out there.

Like the others have said really, it's a company phone, so treat it like you would a company car or a company credit card. Use it for what it's meant for. No one's going to bust you for looking at a dating site last Thursday, but a lot of things cross the line into workplace issues anymore so just don't be stupid about it. Ask yourself is it that important to risk your job?
 
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