Hey everyone, I found out that my boss installed Norton Family on my work computer without any heads-up, and it was there for a whole week! I'm a bit worried because I know it's a parental control software, but I'm not sure what kind of information it can actually track on a work computer. Here are my main concerns:
* Can it see what I search for in private mode or on browsers like Chrome?
* Does it log all the websites I visit, or just my actions on specific sites?
* Are there other online activities it can monitor besides web browsing?
* Is this type of monitoring actually legal in workplaces?
I'd really appreciate any insight or opinions on this!
3 Answers
Just because you think it might be illegal doesn’t mean it is. If the computer is company property, they have the right to install whatever software they want. It’s not your personal device, after all.
It might not be illegal, but it’s likely monitoring your activities on that computer. If you have concerns, it might be a good idea to bring it up directly with your employer.
Really, it's not illegal for a company to monitor their own computers. You could check out the Norton website to find out exactly what the software does. Here's a link you might find helpful: [Norton Support](https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/norton-family/3.0/solutions/v40429063).
I just wanted to clarify exactly what the software could monitor, nothing more. In Portugal, it's actually illegal for an employer to monitor an employee's computer without notifying them first, even if it's company property. So I was just trying to understand what was being tracked.