I read blogs. I read Facebook posts. I read online articles... LOTS of them. Keeping informed on the issues is part of what makes us great in our field. Every once in a while, I run into one that is so outrageous, so asinine, so absolutely crazy that I have to talk about it.
Wait- not just talk about it. RANT about it!
Enter the latest article I ran into from Wired.com, How to Digitally Erase All Your Stuff When You Leave Your Job. This article is a gem. Perhaps it should be renamed, "How to Commit Fraud and Break Several Federal and State Laws in just 7 easy steps!"
Where should I begin? First off, I'm an advocate that business systems are for business and that they should be sterile of personal content. That alone should prevent an article like this from even having to be written.
Here's where this article goes wrong:
Your work devices belong to your employer. There are Federal and State laws that govern tampering with an electronic device that is not personally owned. This includes the unauthorized removal of data.
Employers should have a clear Acceptable Use Policy that spells out a termination process so that the company and employees both understand what will happen upon termination and how the process will be handled.
Employees should assume they have no right to privacy on devices that are owned by their company.
Employers should also have a clear policy governing the use of personal devices to conduct company business and how company data on those devices will be addressed upon termination of employment.
Bottom line: Don't risk it.
If you have personal data on company devices, make sure there is a written understanding of how that data will be handled PRIOR to a termination.
