25 Jul EU Data Protection Law Cannot Stop Employers from Monitoring
Ireland — News last Saturday revealed that the new European privacy law (Article 29) does not completely state that bosses can no longer search their worker’s social media profiles.
Article 29 stipulates that companies cannot process social media information. There are exceptions though, like cases where HR staff are allowed to check LinkedIn to confirm if their old workers are not working for their competitors.
While there are restrictions, the law cannot completely stop bosses from spying on their employees Facebook accounts.
Some employers argue that it is their responsibility to monitor employees that might be engaging in potentially risky activities. For instance, if a truck driver has been drinking the night before a trip, the company can be held liable for accidents that driver might cause.
The new information privacy law was largely enacted to guard against employers that hold biases which have no bearing on job descriptions. To date, officials say they will review the law to see how it can be improved.
Source: Independent
