Neither companies nor their workers really know what the limits are [in regard to employers monitoring employees electronically]. The few rulings in the area seem to be going the employers’ way, but even that trend is not sure to hold.
Predictor: Alderman, Ellen
Prediction, in context:In their 1995 book “The Right to Privacy,” Caroline Kennedy and Ellen Alderman write: ”At present, neither companies nor their workers really know what the limits are [in regard to employers monitoring employees electronically]. The few rulings in the area seem to be going the employers’ way, but even that trend is not sure to hold. The problem of electronic privacy is growing. The number of e-mail users ballooned from 1 million in 1984 to an estimated 20 million in 1995, according to the Electronic Messaging Association and the consulting firm Arthur D. Little. The evidence suggests that electronic monitoring in general is also on the rise, by computer, by telephone, and even by hidden video cameras. A 1993 survey in Macworld magazine reported that 22 percent of companies engaged in searches of employee computer files, voice mail, e-mail or other networking communications. In companies with a thousand or more employees, the figure rose to 30 percent. Based on survey results, the magazine estimated that 20 million Americans may be subject to computer monitoring on the job. It would appear that while the legality of monitoring is still somewhat unclear, companies are taking advantage of the uncertainty. Only 18 percent have any written policy regarding electronic privacy.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Privacy/Surveillance
Name of publication: The Right to Privacy
Title, headline, chapter name: Shoars v. Epson American Inc. High-Tech Monitoring
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 316
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Vellucci, Amanda