High Court Goes High Tech: Justices To Hear Employee Texting Case

http://annem040359.wordpress.com/ ^ | April 19, 2010 | annem040359

[Biggirl]

Welcome to the 21st century, USSC. With the 2009-2010 court term winding down, one of the court cases coming to the Supreme Court is in the area of texting. We have done it so often, sent personal e-mails, surfed the web during company hours, even sent out questionable pictures via online or via the cell phones or blackberrys. The issue in question is on the rights of the employer.

[a fool in paradise]

An employer has “no right” to say how you spend your time on the job and to limit outside communications during company time (even when you sidestep monitoring by using a private cellphone to websurf, email, or call someone)?

[Mr. K]

This is a SHOW to try to implement some more govenment control

If you are texting on COMPANY OWNED EQUIPMENT then you are not onoly stupid but not guaranteed privacy

[TSgt]

I know of a case where an employee in the Netherlands was caught surfing porn at work. A LOT of porn. The U.S. based company couldn’t do anything to him since it was done on his personal lunch break.

[Mr. K]

And empyer has an ABSOLUTE RIGHT to yor time when he is paying you for it.

You should not be talking personal stuff, while being paid for work.

Or are you being sarcastic? I cannot tell

[a fool in paradise]

I read the summary article at the link but did not click through to the case.

Someone on the site seemed to be trying to argue that the existing laws are “outdated” since “everybody does it” now.

The concept shouldn’t be outdated that your time on the clock is as decided by the employer, not society.

“[The laws don’t] really make any sense in the modern era,” says Jennifer Granick, civil liberties director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for free-speech rights in digital communication. “It’s just not the way the technology evolved.”

I disagree with the “civil liberties director”. Texting isn’t a “civil right”.