Regulators Keeping an Eye on Privacy, Too

A 2003 survey of employees and managers with access to sensitive customer information revealed that most are unaware of recent government regulations to protect consumer privacy. Eighty-five percent of those surveyed by Vontu and Harris Interactive report that they are unaware of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), which mandates that financial services companies take steps to protect consumer data—or face fines or jail time. ^[4] Section 501 of the GLBA requires financial services firms to implement and enforce a written information security program to protect nonpublic customer data.

Employers are advised to include IM in their GLBA-related privacy policy. In addition, be sure to take advantage of technologies that help counter privacy concerns. The installation of IM security products that warn users their conversations are recorded, archived, and monitored may help prevent the accidental (or intentional) transmission of client files and other information. ^[5]

See Chapter 8 for more information on IM and privacy.

^[4]Vontu Press Release, ‘‘62% of Employees Report Incidents at Work That Put Customer Data at Risk for Identity Theft’’ (June 2, 2003). Survey results available at www.vontu.com.

^[5]Jane Black, ‘‘Why Offices Are Now Open Secrets,’’ Business-Week Online (September 16, 2003), www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/sep2003/tc20030916_1563_tc129 .