private use of the Internet
31.05.2019

Private online activities at work- Kaspersky Report

Nowadays it is hardly imaginable for many people to be separated from their smartphone for several hours – not even while working. That private surfing can also prove fatal may have been experienced by some of you. The Kaspersky study now reveals interesting details about the private use of the Internet during working hours.

One message here, exciting news there – again and again the look goes to the smartphone. Or to the web browser. But the fact that you should concentrate on your work is quickly forgotten. The need to always be up to date, to get all the exciting news and to answer your friends quickly is not the worst thing, but at work it’s better to ignore. In Kaspersky Lab’s Global Privacy Study, four out of five Germans stated that they were online several times a day during working hours. 67 percent of them don’t want their employer to get wind of it either. Just over half of the participants (58%) also hide their private use of the Internet from their colleagues.

The fact that work and private life are increasingly merging is neither good nor bad, but reflects life in the digital age” explains Marina Titova, Consumer Product Manager at Kaspersky Lab.

Messages and browser history should remain secret

Whether and to what extent the private use of the Internet at the workplace is permitted or not is regulated individually by the employer. However, it would be naive to believe that all employees spend their time in the office exclusively on professional tasks.
These non-professional tasks are, however, exactly what is interesting. One wonders why 31% would rather the employer not see the last visited websites. It’s the same with messaging, whether email or other messaging services. More than a third (37%) do not want to reveal the content of these to employers. Gossip alarm?

Interaction of career and online activities

It has never happened before that an employee was fired because of his social media activities. The fact that this unfortunately happens more often than we would like shows us that even a single misuse of the Internet has serious consequences. With increasing digitalization, the question arises as to how one’s own online activities and career planning can be reconciled. Just how important it is for private individuals to remain private is shown by the Kaspersky study. After all, two percent of respondents in Germany confirm that a leak of personal data has already led to a career setback. (Worldwide 5 percent).

Tips for employees (and also employers)

  • Do not post defamatory, obscene, libellous or confidential statements or information, and refrain from doing so at the slightest doubt.
  • Keep in mind that theoretically every system administrator knows about the Internet habits of all employees.
  • Avoid anything that colleagues, business partners, competitors or customers might perceive as harassment, threat, discrimination or disparagement. This applies to all expressions in e-mails, messages, social networks and other media.
  • Photos showing colleagues, customers, distributors, suppliers or products of the Company may not be posted without permission.

Read more about the Global Privacy Report here.

Bildquelle: iStock/ bombuscreative

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