"Office Computer Monitoring Gets More Sophisticated"

A growing number of companies are implementing new software that automatically monitors employee messages and documents for compliance with security regulations. Because sensitive data can escape through multiple digital channels, companies afraid of insider thefts and data breaches are using technology to oversee employee emails, Web postings, instant messages, and offline documents. Some programs can detect when specific keywords are entered in Web forms or documents, and will then warn the user or thwart the action. Similar technologies dig deeper, reviewing information with databases and documents in file services, and can stop files from being moved to portable devices such as USB drives. Discovering sensitive information in an unsuitable spot is essential to ensuring that the data is not accidentally disseminated. While such software typically warns compliance officers of such sightings, software will increasingly repair such messes automatically. And yet, because these technologies are relatively new, software will sometimes mistakenly block an item or generate irritating streams of pop-up alerts. In addition, less than 1 percent of discovered violations are actually disobeying any rules, and the majority of those infringements are accidental. Moreover, criminals can circumvent the technology. However, in a world where reputation and ethics require vigilant oversight, employers and employees are anticipated to accept the growth of compliance-watchdog technologies.(go to web site) Bergstein, Brian