OBA’s “Hot Issues” seminar and employee computer monitoring

I delivered a presentation at the OBA’s “Hot Issues in Privacy Law” seminar this morning called “Employee Computer Monitoring: Wither the most certain management right of all?” Here are the slides:

I prepared a paper for the presentation that I’m trying to re-purpose, and am going to hold off on publishing it for now. I hope I can make it available in one form or another soon. [Addendum: Here’s a copy of my speaking notes, which contain some of the key ideas.]

I enjoyed attending the entire session. The issues kept coming back to data security, which makes sense given the costs and risks of data breaches. Coincidentally, I had a call right after I returned to the office on a breach. For what it’s worth, I don’t find a discussion of costs and risks very helpful in guiding clients through the decision making exercise. Instead, I guide them to make decisions with a view to writing the story that they can cling to however all the external (and uncontrollable) factors play out. But even if I play my role to its best, it still can leave clients with some agonizing decisions. So if there’s one thing I can echo from today’s seminar, investing in prevention is a great idea. Data breaches suck!

You can read what are essentially a copy of my notes for the morning here. Remember to read from the bottom up.

Enjoy!