Privacy and profitability in the technological workplace

VI. Conclusion New communications technology inevitably creates new problems of privacy; think of the introduction of telephones (when party lines were common), faxes (which can lie in a room accessible by many people before reaching the addressee), and cell phones (which allow bystanders to hear one side of seemingly confidential communications). Computer monitoring of performance, e-mails, and Internet access are no different in this regard. Each development requires adjustments. I thank Holly Newell of the University of South Carolina Law School Class of 2004 for her diligent research on and editorial assistance with this article.