Can your company read your IM's?

Depending on what type of monitoring your company does, they may be able read your IMs and your email if you check it on your work computer.

From http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs7-work.htmhttp:/...

Electronic Mail and Voice Mail

Is electronic mail private? What about voice mail?

In most cases, no. If an electronic mail (e-mail) system is used at a company, the employer owns it and is allowed to review its contents. Messages sent within the company as well as those that are sent from your terminal to another company or from another company to you can be subject to monitoring by your employer. This includes web-based email accounts such as Yahoo and Hotmail as well as instant messages. The same holds true for voice mail systems. In general, employees should not assume that these activities are not being monitored and are private. Several workplace privacy court cases have been decided in the employer's favor. See for example:

* Bourke v. Nissan, www.loundy.com/CASES/Bourke_v_Nissan.html

* Smyth v. Pillsbury, www.loundy.com/CASES/Smyth_v_Pillsbury.html

* Shoars v. Epson, www.law.seattleu.edu/fachome/chonm/Cases/shoars.html

Yes, the company you work for can read the emails and IMs that you send to your coworker. The law basically sides with them unless you have a reason to believe the company affords you a standard of privacy. This basically means if they told you that they wouldn't. If they have said nothing about the issue, then it is perfectly legal for them to look at what you say on their computers.

Only if there is spyware on your computer could they read your IM's, after you've closed the message window. E-mails might be a different matter. How big brother is the place your working. If crimanal charges where filed against you a computer forensics expert could.

For the Ims yes it is possible, but im not sure on the e-mails, If your on a wireless un secured network then ANYTHINGS possible

It's legal and possible for them to. But it also requires either some knowledge of computers or software for them to do it.

Just don't do things at work that you shouldn't be. No wonder they say people only work at 70% efficiency.

Yes, i think so. One of my teachers @ school said he could get on his computer and somehow see everything we were on on our accounts at the school computers.

You should check your company policy but many places are allowed to seize your computer and look through it.

it would depend if they have something set up on the computers to be able to do that. there are programs where they could if they wanted to

if you email at work using their computer they can

Yes there is.