Privacy

Army engineer arrested for spying

05/27/2008

An 85-year-old former U.S. Army engineer has been arrested on charges of giving classified U.S. documents about nuclear weapons to the Israeli Consulate. Ben-Ami Kadish, who worked at the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in Dover from 1963 to 1990, is charged with assisting the same Israeli handler who recruited U. S. Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard …

What should we include in a policy banning cell phone cameras?

05/23/2008

Q. I’m looking to create a policy regarding cell phones with photographic capabilities. Any suggestions? …

Employer can access hard drive on company-Owned laptop

05/16/2008

Employers that provide laptops to employees and that suspect an employee might be aiding a competitor can inspect the company-owned laptop without violating the employee’s right to privacy. Employers should, however, exercise discretion while searching the computer …

Schaumburg woman indicted in alleged international corporate espionage scheme

05/14/2008

Hanjuan Jin, a former software engineer for a suburban Chicago telecommunications firm identified as “Company A” for security reasons, has been indicted on charges of stealing business trade secrets and attempting to take them to China …

Of MySpace & Money: Don’t try to muzzle millennials’ salary talk

05/13/2008

You’d never discuss how much money you make, right? Dude, that attitude is so 20th century! The 20-somethings you work with eagerly dish about salaries, bonuses and other work topics you might consider taboo. Managers tempted to forbid such talk? Don’t let them! Here’s why.

Revise confidentiality policy to omit any hint it covers wages

05/01/2008

It’s considered impolite in many circles to discuss money, but don’t try to stop employees from talking about their pay. Setting a policy that prohibits employees from sharing information about hourly rates, salaries, bonuses or the terms of their employment could violate the National Labor Relations Act—even if your employees do not belong to a union …

What HR pros should know about trade secret misappropriation

04/22/2008

When any valued employee leaves, the company experiences a loss. The loss is greater, however, when the former employee departs to work for a competitor and begins using the company’s confidential information or trade secrets. HR has a key role to play in protecting a company’s proprietary information. Here’s how to do it …

Landscape changing for noncompete agreements in Texas

04/07/2008

A year and a half ago, the Texas Supreme Court clarified whether employers may require new and existing employees to sign noncompete agreements without changing their at- will status. The court concluded they can—as long as the employer provides proper consideration in return …

ICE agent in hot water over political data sharing

04/01/2008

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Cory Voorhis is on unpaid leave over allegations that he misused confidential agency data to aid the 2006 gubernatorial campaign of Bob Beauprez …

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