Keystroke Logging Declared Illegal in Alberta

Meshach writes "The Globe and Mail has a story about how keystroke logging has been declared illegal in Alberta Canada. The ruling applies to companies using logging as a means to track employees." From the article: " The employee, who was not named, worked as a computer technician for six months in 2004. Ms. Silver said it was a job where productivity was hard to measure. 'We thought that using an objective check through the computer would be the most fair and objective way to do that,' she said Wednesday."

Just as odd as wiretapping laws

[Digital_Quartz]

You can't tap a phone you "technically own" either, not even in the US. If you want to record a phone conversation, you have to let both parties know. Nothing odd about that.

Only government employees, right?

[SpaceAdmiral]

I didn't look this up, but I'm pretty sure the Alberta Privacy Commissioner only has authority over government employees/employers.

I think the submitter is wrong: I don't think this ruling has any effect on a private employer. So it's not really "illegal."

Re:Questionable results...

[Doctor Crumb]

you're confusing scanning vs logging, as well as data entry vs communication. For the first, there is usually no permanent store of incoming/outgoing messages, they are scanned in passing rather than stored and redirected. For the second, no one needs to know that I took six tries to spell 'nuclear payload', while at the same time they have reasonable cause to wonder why I am discussing such things with the outside world using company resources.

Re:Just as odd as wiretapping laws

[jumpingfred]

The laws vary from state to state as to wheather both parties have to know about the recording.

Re:You're not thinking about what privacy means

[drsquare]

If you're going for a business lunch, then the company should pay for it. If not, then get the money from a cash machine. I don't see how logging onto a bank account at work gets you your money, unless your computer is connected to a note forger machine.

If you don't want non-work passwords to be logged, then don't enter non-work passwords on work computers. Key-logging is perfectly acceptable. In my company we put loggers on all the computers to see what the employees are up to. I don't see how this is any worse than watching them on a camera or going round in person watching them. Is standing behind someone whilst they work an invasion of privacy?

Re:Questionable results...

[Intron]

Nowhere in the article does it say that keystroke logging was "declared illegal". That's just the usual /. hyperbole. The case was about logging on one employee without telling him which raised privacy issues. That's why in the US, they always have announcements like "your call may be monitored" on hotlines. They make it clear not only to you, but also to their own employees that someone may be listening in. Also, most companies tell their employees that email and web surfing may be monitored.

The Actual Report

[whitehatlurker]

Since no-one has appeared to gone off to find this yet, here [oipc.ab.ca] is the report of the privacy commissioner.

Not entirely accurate?

[wraezor]

(Speaking as a NetAdmin in Alberta) Seems like it may have been simply because the library in question didn't have a computer use policy.

From CBC.ca [edmonton.cbc.ca]:
"The library has changed its policy, informing employees that they have no expectation of privacy when using work computers."

Also illegal in Washington State

[WillAffleckUW]

but I thought that was already on /. in a prior article - if not, it was one of the bills signed into law this session.