According to a 2005 American Management Association survey 65% of American companies use software to block access to pornography, up from 40% in 2001. They spend millions of dollars on human and software resources to monitor employee activity. But technology keeps the porn hungry employees one step ahead.
Richard Laermer, CEO of the PR firm RLM, told USA Today that wireless devices make it impossible to closely monitor employees. "Liability is the thing that keeps me up at night, because we are liable for things people do on your premises. It's serious. I'll see somebody doing it, and I'll peek over their shoulder, and they'll say, 'I don't know how that happened.' It's like 10-year-olds. And it's always on company time."
Michael Leahy, a former employee at IBM, told how easy it is to access pornography. "I always hid it. I always used laptops, and I'd look at it behind closed doors. The biggest impact was the risk I brought to businesses in terms of sexual harassment or other claims and the lost productivity. Even with blockers and filters, I could view it." With laptops, cell phones, and advances in wireless technology it is increasingly difficult for companies to monitor all the possible access points.
The problem is widespread. According to the American Management Association survey 1 in 4 companies has fired an employee for misusing the Internet. It is estimated that companies lose millions in lost productivity. Workers are continually bringing lawsuits against co-workers who view pornography at work. Viewing pornography creates a harmful work environment, which often leads to sexual harassment.
Whatever amount the pornography industry claims to generate for the United States economy is surely negated by the costs to businesses keeping pornography out of the workplace. The CP80 Internet Zoning Initiative gives our businesses better choices to protect themselves against these losses.
The CP80 Foundation is pleased to offer free training to individuals who wish to learn more about the Internet, pornography, current laws and the CP80 Internet Channel Initiative.
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