A guideline on the privacy of personal data stored on company-owned mobile devices - Essay Example

In terms of maintaining company privacy, the company can use IT experts to track their employees. This is useful for knowing the location of employees at a particular time compared to where they are supposed to be. Employers sometimes allow employees to carry company-issued mobile devices such as iPhones and iPods. It has been in the news that iPhones and iPods are able to track the physical location of the person possessing them secretly. These types of devices can be used for business purpose and track personal information of the user blurs privacy between corporate information and personal information.

This is because the devices can track personal location of the user and store it in unencrypted files found in the devices and on the owner’s computer. As a result, the organization IT experts can obtain this data from the employee’s computer according to Bidgol. This type of device is usually equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) that tracks the individual’s location. This proves to a threat to personal privacy of employees and thus the need for organizations to come up with a policy and a legal guideline on the type of information to be gathered using such devices.

For instance, there should be a guideline on maintaining an employee’s privacy when using a personal Smartphone while conducting company business. Employees need to know how much to share with organization clients when using either personal device or company device. Organizations further, need to consider the issue of transparency if they are determined to track physical location of their employees or get customers. This will involve informing employees about the policies on how to shield their privacy while using company devices or while conducting company business with personal devices.

There is also need for organizations to equip their mobile devices with mobile payment system that will discourage employees from misusing the devices. IT managers have estimated that employees often spend more than an hour every day on non-work related web services. These include online games, internet surfing, gambling and shopping among others. The downloading and storage of such personal data results in various internet based threats on critical company data stored in the devices misused.

The threats include susceptibility to virus and worm attacks, malware infection, and hacking of private and restricted company sites and passwords. In most cases, this leads to the organizations taking tough measures of protecting their devices by installing GPS functionality that later hinders the privacy of the user. The advantages gained by organizations in having their employees work at different locations at different time brings out the need for protecting personal information used by employees while at work.

For the same purpose, both the organization and employees should understand the limit and the technical control needed when using such mobile devices. This includes the organizations coming up with policies based on technical control of their mobile devices to provide about the extent that the device as suggested by Garfinkel and Spafford (2002) can control the personal data of the employee. This may include providing a set download of a specific capacity before a using a personal device for connecting the network of the organization.

An organization is required to draw a line regarding personal privacy infringement. Infringement of personal data occurs when the organization exposes personal information that may be a threat to their safety. In order to avoid this,