Re: Attila T. Spammer / Re: Denning questions/reverses her position? (fwd)

[Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>]

Forwarded message:

> Subject: Re: Attila T. Spammer / Re: Denning questions/reverses her position?
> From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM)
> Date: Fri, 01 Aug 97 09:18:19 EDT

> I'm pretty sure she still supports the right of a corporation to
> tell the users of corporate systems not to have anything on those
> systems that the corporation can't decrypt.

And why wouldn't you? Let's look at this a moment.

1.   Business, irrespective of size, is not equivalent to the government
     and specificaly isn't mentioned in the Constitution at all so we
     are reasonably safe they are exempt from federal compliance with its
     requirements outside that detailed for citizens and regarding
     inter-state or international trade.

2.   The relationship between employer and employee is one based on a
     contract.

3.   Neither party is forced beyond their own needs and desires to sign
     the contract.

4.   Each party is aware of the contents of the contract before they
     sign it, or at least is given the opportunity to be made aware.
     If somebody wants to sign a contract with no knowledge of its
     contents, so be it.

5.   Who owns the computers? The business does clearly. Now a commen
     proviso on ownership is that the final decision, or the transfer
     of that decision, is up to the business. Just as it is ultimately
     up to you who gets to drive your car.

6.   Most provisions of employment contain the proviso that the time
     you agree to work for that employer is to be spent on dealing with
     the employers needs and not the employees. This is after all at least
     one of the reasons behind using time off and floating holidays and
     such.

7.   Provided the employee is aware of this policy at the time of
     signing OR is given a reasonable warning period before a shift of
     policy after hiring then the employee has no grounds to complain.


Myself, I always ask my immediate supervisor for a description of company
policy on this. I also always ask if they have an objection to me using
the company system to log into my home system during lunch and other
'off-clock' hours. So far I have never been refused.

Short answer to this, use your own resources for your own use and don't
use other peoples resources to carry on your own activities unless you offer
them a cut of the profit.

Ultimately this isn't even a question of contracts but of simple plain ol'
every-day manners.

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