Crossing the Line: How Using Work Devices for Personal Use Compromises Your Privacy

I have carried 2 phones for almost 15 years, starting as a Special Agent in the USSS. It's telling that almost every government employee does this. Most in the private sector, don't--but should.

Many people work for companies that provide work devices, such as computers and phones, to their employees. Most companies also allow personal use of these devices, and many people do. It is convenient to have one computer and one phone in your life that you use for everything: work and personal business.

I have carried two phones (a work phone and a personal phone) for almost 15 years, first as a Special Agent in the US Secret Service and then while working for Google and other companies. It’s telling that 99% of the people I worked with in the government had both a work device and a personal device. This is because government employees are very aware of the government’s ability to track and monitor the usage of those phones, and people don’t want to put their personal information and privacy at risk. Government phones are for government use, and personal phones are for personal use. Keeping those lanes separate is important.

In the private sector, I have seen the opposite. The vast majority of people I’ve met have one phone, which they use for both personal and company use. This phone might be a work phone or a device they brought (BYOD).

Many people also have just one work computer that they use for both personal and company use. I think this is because people falsely assume that a private company can’t access your personal data or that it’s harder for private companies to access your personal information on their devices than the government. In fact, it’s the opposite! The US Government is beholden to the Fourth Amendment (against illegal search and seizure by the government), whereas private companies are not subject to the Fourth Amendment.

If you read your IT policy or the disclaimer when you log in to your work computer or device, I am certain that you will see a clause that informs you that all activity is subject to monitoring by your company.

If you use your work devices to conduct personal business, you are almost certainly compromising your privacy, and I highly recommend that you don’t do this.

Because work devices are subject to monitoring and control by the company that owns them, anything you do or put on your work device, including personal messages, emails, files, or photos, can probably be accessed by your company.