electronic communications & the legal implications ian tranter partner, employment department...

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

& THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

& THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

Ian TranterPartner, Employment

Department

Ian TranterPartner, Employment

Department

THE RISKS: This day and age

• Workplace culture

• No privacy law

• Conflict of interest

• Privacy of the Employer

• Monitoring/Surveillance

THE RISKS: Real Issues I

• Unintentional binding contracts

• e-mail harassment/vicarious liability

• downloading pornography

• down time/unauthorised use

THE RISKS: Real Issues II

• Defamation

• Disclosure

• Breaches of Confidentiality

LIMITATION OF RISK:

• in writing• binding• specify uses• prohibitions• access

• expectation• deletion• sanctions• monitoring• privacy rules

The Acceptable Use Policy

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

• Formally accepting the A.U.P

• Nominated arbitrator

• Dunn -v- IBM (UK) Ltd

• Compliance & Monitoring

• Halford -v- United Kingdom

MONITORING COMPLIANCE

Achieving the balance

Protecting Business Needs

-v-

Expectation of Privacy

MONITORING COMPLIANCE

• The European Convention on Human Rights• The Human Rights Act 1998• The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

2000• The Telecommunications Act (Lawful

Business Practice)(Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000

• The Data Protection Act 1998

MONITORING COMPLIANCE

The Human Rights Act 1998

• does not apply to individual employers

• indirect effect via courts

• no absolute right to privacy (Halford -v- UK)

• ECHR exceptions protects monitoring

• proportionality

MONITORING COMPLIANCE

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (“RIPA”)

• governs the interpretation and monitoring of communications

• unlawful to intercept without consent

• difficulty in obtaining consent

MONITORING COMPLIANCE

The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice)(Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 (“LBP Regs”)

• authorises monitoring under RIPA

• advance warning to employees…

• …no consent required…

• … but only for the purpose of...

MONITORING COMMUNICATIONS

(LBP Regs - continued)

• Recording evidence of business transactions

• Compliance with regulatory obligations

• Effectively operating employer’s systems

• Standards of training and service

• Preventing/detecting criminal activity

• Preventing unauthorised use of the system

MONITORING COMPLIANCE

The Data Protection Act 1998

• interception = “data processing”• the Codes of Practice (Pt 3 “monitoring at work”)• Limit monitoring to traffic data rather than content• Spot checks rather than continuous monitoring• Automated monitoring/restricted circulation• Target monitoring areas of high risk

CREATING A BALANCED CULTURE

• Formulate an AUP

• Sanctions

• Explain and Educate

• Update the AUP

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

& THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

& THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

Ian TranterPartner, Employment

Department

Ian TranterPartner, Employment

Department