US City Workers Surf Free of Scrutiny
Columbus makes no effort to track city employees’ Internet use or block access to inappropriate sites, even though it has spent more than $88,000 to acquire and maintain the capability. Four years ago, the city’s Department of Technology bought a comprehensive Web-monitoring and filtering system from SurfControl, an Internet-security company with more than 20,000 corporate and government customers worldwide. The agency’s initial expenditure: $19,999. Since then, the agency has paid SurfControl more than $68,000 to service and upgrade the system, records show. Despite that investment, the city has chosen not to monitor employees’ Web surfing on a regular basis. Neither does it block workers’ access to chat rooms or Web sites that clearly have no connection to their job — sites, for example, that feature gambling, matchmaking or pornography. If the city suspects a particular employee is misusing the Internet while on the job, it will audit that person’s computer use and, if warranted, take disciplinary action, said Chet Christie, director of human resources for the city. Acting on a tip, for example, WBNS-TV asked city officials several months ago about the computer use of an inspector in the Department of Development. The city reviewed the employee’s computer records and found that he appeared to be spending large portions of his workweek visiting matchmaking Web sites, including AmericanSingles.com, Single-Me.com and Passion.com. One workday, the employee racked up 9 ½ hours at such sites. In March, after the employee pleaded guilty to administrative charges of misuse of city property and neglect of duty, the city suspended him for 10 days and placed him on what amounts to probation for three years, records show. If he violates the city’s Internet policy during that period, he will face termination. Despite that episode and a handful of similar cases — Christie said he knows of about 10 workers who’ve been disciplined — the city hasn’t engaged in across-the-board monitoring of employees’ Web use. Although that approach is under review, Gary Cavin, the city’s director of technology, said he and other city administrators don’t need regular monitoring to know that most employees use their computers properly. "I’m confident," he said, "they all use the equipment in terms of the regulations that are set forth in the policy." As a condition of employment, city workers must agree in writing to follow Columbus’ Comprehensive Electronic Communications Policy, a four-page document that details allowable uses of computers, telephones, pagers and fax machines. "Internet access must not be used to view or access Web sites, bulletin board services or ‘chatroom’ type services which could be construed as outside the interest of the city or unacceptable within the purview of a public agency," the policy says. Examples, it says, include sites that depict sexual or excretory activities, feature full or partial nudity and offer online gambling. Using Internet filters to block access to such sites might be impractical as well as unnecessary, city officials said. "The idea of restricting use when you have 4,600 users and 8,000 city employees is potentially problematic from the standpoint of just being able to monitor 4,600 users," Christie said. He also suggested that the use of filters could create problems for city employees who need to visit seemingly inappropriate Web sites. "Vice officers, for example, might access a site that is sexually explicit but nonetheless legitimate," he said. Officials with the Columbus Division of Police, however, said they track their department’s Internet use independently. Moreover, unlike Columbus, Cincinnati regularly monitors Web use by its employees. Last year, by expanding its list of blocked Web sites, the city reduced workers’ Internetbrowsing time by almost 4,000 hours per month, Cincinnati officials said. An informal survey of stateand countygovernment agencies suggests that Cincinnati’s approach is more common than Columbus’. WBNS checked more than a dozen such agencies and found that just three — the Ohio treasurer’s office, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Administrative Services — give their employees unrestricted access to the Internet. John Saros, executive director of Franklin County Children Services, said he thinks filtering the Web is "good government — and good business." Saros said a recent audit of his agency’s online use suggested that 62 employees — or about 8 percent of his staff — were violating policy, though none seriously. No one was disciplined, he said, but some employees were asked to change their Web-surfing habits. "It’s a question of productivity," Saros said. Nancy Flynn, executive director of The ePolicy Institute in Columbus, said taking advantage of Web-monitoring and filtering technology "is just a better business practice all the way around." "Big Brother is reading over my electronic shoulder, and if I surf to this off-color site, my boss is going to know about it," she said. "It just helps employees stay in line when they’re online."
Reproduced from an article published by 10TV
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