When my emploer switched to Gmail, I began to worry

[KublaiKhan]

Our policies clearly state that the employer has every right to monitor our computers and communications at work, but I'm beginning to fear that this will extend to our personal home computing, as well.

We recently switched our email service to Gmail, and I'm familiar with Google's reach and mining capabilities. I wonder how these extend the employer's abilities, as well.

For instance, if I check my work email at home, that means logging into a Google account, which could open my personal computer up to all sorts of tracking of activity not related to work. If I logged in, but forgot to log out, I suspect that the employer has access to anything I searched for with Google and its related sites. I've made a point of NOT logging onto my my work Gmail account from home because of this possibility.

Even if I log out, couldn't Google simply connect the work account to other Google accounts by IP address, link them all together and mine them collectively? Could this information be passed on to the employer?

On another note, my smart phone connects to the employer's WIFI automatically. Is it likely that texts and other web activity are being monitored?

 

[BSOD BSTD]

my advice, configure your outlook at home to access your Gmail.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-microsoft-outlook-with-gmail.html

and make sure that you don't log in with your google ID at work. really dodgy that your employer is using Gmail, Google have turned it into a single log in for everything 🙁

 

[KublaiKhan]

Yeah, these folks don't exactly trust their employees. The feeling is mutual. I do not put anything past them.

The employer created new Gmail accounts for everyone. I have my own personal Gmail accounts (two of them, actually) that I only access at home.

I've not accessed my work Gmail account at home for fear of forgetting to log off and then accessing something NSFW or otherwise private. I've read that the employer shouldn't be able to see Google or YouTube history, but then I've also read of employers snagging passwords at the workplace and accessing accounts that way.

 

[Alabalcho]

Create separate Windows account on your home computer, and use it for work-related activities.