Fun_People Archive
21 Jun
A Computer Privacy Urban Legend?

Date: Wed, 21 Jun 95 12:09:20 PDT
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: A Computer Privacy Urban Legend?

Forwarded-by: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: matthew green <mrg@mame.mu.OZ.AU>
Forwarded-by: friedman@cli.com (Noah Friedman)
Forwarded-by: Darrin Jewell <jewell@bdi.com>

        JUDGE RULES ON E-MAIL PRIVACY CASE

TULSA, OKLA -- The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled on a case that many
legal experts believe clearly delineates the e-mail privacy rights of
computer users in the workplace. Judge Stan Musing declared that employees
have a right to expect that their employers will refrain from monitoring
e-mail messages transmitted on company systems. The case went to court after
programmer Augustus Lindsey's supervisor monitored his e-mail and
intercepted a message from Lindsey to a colleague. The message read: "That
little sex kitten has been driving me wild. She's moaning and begging for
it every minute. Last night I was afraid someone would hear, and we'd be
thrown out of the building. But don't worry -- all is arranged. Wednesday
she gets the knife". Lindsey's supervisor alerted authorities, suspecting
that a crime was in the making. Lindsey was arrested on the spot and spent
an uncomfortable night discussing the situation with the police.  However,
he was released in the morning, just in time to get his female cat to the
vet for spaying. Lindsey sued his boss for invasion of privacy and sought
punitive damages as well.

© 1995 Peter Langston