The purpose of this paper is to report and address e-mail, internet use, and privacy policies at the General Services Administration. This paper will also describe current laws regulating employee e-mail and internet policy, why companies implement policies for e-mail and internet usage, and the assumptions employees might make about their privacy at work. How policies might affect employee privacy at work is a final topic that will be addressed in this paper. It is probably safe to say that just about every company has guidelines and policies in place that govern the usage of e-mail and the internet. These policies are in place to provide security, protect against abuse and also computer viruses that can cause severe threats to a company network.
E-mail, Internet, Privacy Policies
The e-mail and internet policy for the General Services Administration is a directive which describes policies and rules relating to recordkeeping of e-mail messages, appropriate use of the internet and violations. The General Services Administration e-mail and internet policies on acceptable use state users must not use e-mail for any activity or purpose involving classified data and must avoid transmitting unsolicited commercial announcements or advertising material unless approved in advance. Transmitting any material pertaining to the General Services Administration, the federal government, or any other agency employee, or official that is libelous or defamatory is prohibited (GSA 2010, April). The General Services Administration policy statement explains the use of automation systems including computers, fax machines, and all forms of Internet/intranet access is for company business and for authorized purposes only. Brief and occasional personal use of the electronic mail system or the internet is acceptable as long as it is not excessive or inappropriate, occurs during personal time (lunch or other breaks), and does not result in expense or harm to the company or otherwise...