Net usage policies need publicity

Staff must be made aware of internet usage policies, where they exist, say legal experts

Over a third of UK staff are still unaware of their employer’s internet usage policy, despite governance rules requiring firms to manage staff web and email use, according to a survey to be published today.

Of 300 staff questioned by network security firm SmoothWall, over a third claimed their employer did not have a usage policy. Even where respondents knew of a policy, 38 percent said that they were un- aware of its content.

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) chief Peter Robbins said, “It beggars belief that any company hasn’t yet woken up to the dangers, risks and [legal] liabilities of not having acceptable usage policies.”

SmoothWall said staff need to know what constitutes appropriate web browsing and email use at work, and whether technology such as voice over IP is allowed. “About a third of people admitted to spending half an hour a day on non-work-related browsing, and that is a serious productivity issue,” added George Lungley, chief executive at SmoothWall.

Firms should also control traffic to comply with corporate governance rules – though this is not always possible with messaging and web email systems. “[With rules such as the US Sarbanes-Oxley law] if you can’t record what is said, it should be blocked,” Lungley advised.

Jon Fell, a partner at law firm Pinsent Masons, said policies should also detail how breaches will be treated. “[But] the key thing about policies is that unless you tell people about them, they are not worth the paper they’re written on,” he added.