Workplace e-mail monitoring bill passes Assembly

[question everything]

By Michael Gardner, Copley News Service

SACRAMENTO -- Employers may soon have to warn workers if they plan to read e-mails, monitor Web surfing or use global positioning systems to track the use of company cars.

The Assembly approved the advance-warning requirement Tuesday without a vote to spare, 41-29. "Just because your boss owns the computers and pays for the Internet access doesn't mean that he should have the right to spy on you without telling you," said Sen. Debra Bowen, a Redondo Beach Democrat carrying the measure.

Opponents countered that Senate Bill 1841 is an example of regulatory overkill that frustrates business. "It's just another regulation they have to pay for," said Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark.

(snip)

Under the current version, employers only have to provide notice one time. It could be in the form of an e-mail or included in the employee handbook. The measure also has been expanded to sweep in the latest tracking technology: global positioning systems and computer chips in individual security cards. Companies use GPS technology to follow when and where vehicles are driven. They also have been checking computerized records of when employees enter or leave offices by using their security cards, Bowen said.

(snip)

http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/news/3440396.html