Computer Privacy At Work - Comments Page 2

What if you work from home, but your employer pays for your DSL line. I use the router my employer provides me. I think my employer has a contract with my phone company. Can my employer still track what sites i go to? Do the phone companies provide employers information about the sites i visit? Or can my employer get infor from the router they gave me? THanks!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'd say it's very unlikely that the phone company would provide that information to your employer.

Can my employer find out what I have been using my laptop for at home, when I connect through my own wireless network, when I return to work and plug into their network?

EDITOR'S NOTE: That depends on whether or not you share your hard drive on the network. If not, then no.

Thanks. What do you mean by sharing my hard drive on the network?

EDITOR'S NOTE: In My Computer, right-click your C: drive icon, then select Sharing. You can share (make accessible) the files on your hard drive with other computers on your home network.

I have a laptop which I use remotely from work - conecting through my own network - and I use the laptop for pleasure, as well as work. Can my employer tell what I have been doing with the laptop whilst at home, when I visit the office and connect to their network?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Only if you have "shared" your entire hard drive, and given access to your browser history. That's unlikely, but you should check the sharing and security options on the C: drive.

So as long as you use your own internet connection on the company issused laptop, they cannot view what you looked at or see what you wrote, even when you log on and it has a disclaimer about using the company computer?

EDITOR'S NOTE: That's not exactly true, as I've mentioned before. If you don't clean out your browser cache and history file, it MAY be possible for your employer to view them.

if an IT guy (he is a friend) came to my house and use my wire less internet connection with password using his laptop... can he see and check what i do online, what site i visited? after he goes home?. he have my internet password connection i am just wondering what he can see because he logged on to my internet at home using his laptop i am not sure if he got my pass word but i know he entered it to his laptop himself. thanx in advance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Not unless your network is horribly misconfigured. But why not change your password anyway?

Ok, what if... 1. The ISP is paid for by a third party, and the router is owned by my company. I do not have to connect to a company server to get access to the internet. What information can the router record if I use a personal laptop while at work?
2. If the third party were interested, can they use any sort of program to record information about my internet activities with my personal laptop. I ask because they pay for the ISP and we share the router.
3. If the third party asked for records from the ISP would they receive the personal laptops history or all the history of all computers on the router? How is that ISP information typically broken down? Finally, does the ISP supplied information give just IP addresses or host names/website names as well?

Even if your unable to answer these questions, you've been extremely effective in explaining this topic. Thank you.

First of all I have a remote desktop with dual monitors. When I access the remote desktop, I can only work on one screen as the remote desktop does not have remote capability. I can use the second monitor, but not as part of the remote desktop connection. I can use it just as I would normally do if I did not have the remote desktop on one monitor. What I am being told from my IT department is that I am over my internet usage amount and that I have blocked sites on their report. How is this possible if I NEVER access the internet from the remote desktop connection, but only from the other monitor which is not connected to the remote desktop, but through my home internet connection. I have asked the IT Director at my company to call me, but of course he hasn't. My director knows that it is not possible that I am on the internet as much as the report says because that would reflect in my productivity. Also, the report shows that I am accessing the company's internet at times when I am not even working. No one else has access to my computer. I live alone. Any ideas what is going on here? Is it possible that in some cases, my internet access is being picked up even though it is not being accessed thru the remote desktop.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Your description of remote, local and dual leaves my head spinning. I can't make sense of which computer you're physically at, where the remote desktops are, and why a dual screen setup would even matter. But here's a thought... if you have a wireless router somewhere in the mix, perhaps unknown parties are connecting to your network due to missing or weak password on the router.

My company is completely remote (meaning that all employees work from home using company-issued laptops). My employer uses LogMeIn software, which they claim is for maintenance and repair. I do not have to log in to a corporate server; all of my work is performed locally, through my own home internet and router.

My Question: What exactly can my employer track?

Since I leave my computer on almost all the time, can they determine what time I start/end my work day (i.e. am active/inactive on my PC)? Can they track my website history? What else might they be tracking?

EDITOR'S NOTE: If someone can log in to your computer via LogMeIn, then it's just like they are sitting at your desk. They have access to EVERYTHING you do.

I am unclear as to whether my employer (a government office) can track or see what I am doing on my home computer if I am connecting to my home computer via Remote Desktop.

I don't see how this is possible. I am sure that if they wanted to look for it they can tell that I have a remote desktop connection active, but that's about it.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I agree.