is my employer allowed to track my company issued iPad2?

[sjleworthy]

If it's work issued and owned then yes, they are perfectly within their rights to do whatever they feel they need to. It's only your's on loan. It's basically the same as your work computer on your desk except it's mobile, which doesn't make it any more private.

As mentioned, nothing is private where work is concerned, so treat your device appropriately. You wouldn't visit and download dodgy sites and material on your work desk top pc, so you should with the iPad either.

If you're uncomfortable with this then refuse to have one (which will probably flag up questions in your boss's minds as to why you're paranoid about it). If my company were issuing me with an iPad i'd be well chuffed.

And don't worry about your private emails and info being scanned by the firm - companys are very reasonable and respect privacy if your all above board and they have no reason to suspect. Besides, our own ISP's know exaclt all our online movements, so whats the difference in essence?

 

[SweetPoison]

Power it off...

So....if your ipad is off, it can't be tracked?


Oh. I knew that. Kinda.

 

[sjleworthy]

Yes, but did you know that you've been bugged too? There's no escaping !!!

 

[SweetPoison]

Yes, but did you know that you've been bugged too? There's no escaping !!!

Oh be quiet! lol!

 

[DrHouse]

This is an interesting issue...

I'm not talking about ocntent on the device but about the possibility of being tracked where ever you go. With the Find My Phone feature, you can see where is currently located your iDevice in almost realtime. This is cool for personal use, but what about corporate use?

Is it fair or moral that your employer can know where your are, implying what you do at any moment of the day (assuming that the iDevice is always active)? Truckers have such a device with them, in their truck. But that device won't track them outside their truck. But with an iDevice, if you bring it with you for "fair personal use", it means that they can know where you are outside of your business related activities.

Were you at home, in a motel, in a bar? So to avoid any issues, you should leave the iDevice at home or the office when you are not on duty. By personal use, maybe we should understand being able to surf the net, have some music and movies, etc... But the hardware part, the device itself should not be used in your personal life.

For example, you call in sick for the day, go see the doctor and on your way home, you stop at mall to get something... It could then be argue that you were not that sick cause they saw you were shopping in the morning.

- Yeah, but the drug store is in the mall...
- You were there for an hour and a half...
- I had to talk to the pharmacist, then I got some groceries items
- so, too sick to work, but okay to make your grocery list?
- just got a few items, and there was a lot of people, so it took longer than expected

Anyway, this is a bit of a strech, but you get the idea...

VicoPad addict!

 

[Gabriel1]

My view, FWIW, as an employee my employer is entitled to know where I am when he is paying for my services (during work hours), the employer is also entitled to know where their equipment is (all the time, after all, they own it).

They cannot track you as they could not prove conclusively that it was with you at every moment of every day.

I honestly think that it is a mute point, if your employer distrusts you so much that they feel the need to track you 24hrs of the day.......then your employment is good for either of you!

The Archangel

 

[DrHouse]

My view, FWIW, as an employee my employer is entitled to know where I am when he is paying for my services (during work hours), the employer is also entitled to know where their equipment is (all the time, after all, they own it).

They cannot track you as they could not prove conclusively that it was with you at every moment of every day.

I honestly think that it is a mute point, if your employer distrusts you so much that they feel the need to track you 24hrs of the day.......then your employment is good for either of you!

The Archangel

I hear you on that. But I was more thinking about the security department. You always have some freak there, thinking that they own the world and everyone is a crook. This could end up in a situation, even if your boss is the trusting kind.

Doubt is the worst poison...

VicoPad addict!

 

[Kaykaykay]

As far as whether they're entitled to check for whatever reason, yes, it's their equipment. In practice, I doubt employers have the time or resources to track employees much. But if you're doing anything that might raise their suspicions (low productivity, lots of time unaccounted for, etc.,) they'll probably check up on you. And there's always the chance that a nosy parker might snoop, just because they can.

Personally, my privacy is important to me, so I avoid using work stuff for anything but work.

 

[Gabriel1]

Personally, my privacy is important to me, so I avoid using work stuff for anything but work.

Me too, I carry both my own phone and a company phone, I make all my personal calls on my own phone......unless I have to stay away for work purposes in which case I keep personal calls, etc, to a minimum.

The Archangel

 

[Gabriel1]

I hear you on that. But I was more thinking about the security department. You always have some freak there, thinking that they own the world and everyone is a crook. This could end up in a situation, even if your boss is the trusting kind.

Doubt is the worst poison...

VicoPad addict!

I meant to say NOT good for either of you at the end of my post.......d'oh!!!

The Archangel

 

[epepe]

I recently received a company-issued iPad. My concern is with apps I downloaded in it. Can my IT department access info from my apps? For example, if I have a personal document in my Google Drive app, can my company see that document?

 

[5er driver]

Company issued = company property. They can do with the device as they wish while it is in your possession. They could probably even turn it on remotely and listen with the mic and see what's going on if the camera lenses aren't covered. There are enterprise apps that we aren't privy to, I wouldn't be surprised if there are "security" type spy apps available to the enterprise environment. Big Brother, 1984, etc.

Sent from my iPhone 4S or iPad 3rd gen, whichever I happened to have in my hands at the time, using iPF.net

 

[axis]

It's their kit I expect they can do what they want, and as has been said previously whilst you are on company time they have a right to know where you are and what you doing.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[AQ_OC]

I recently received a company-issued iPad. My concern is with apps I downloaded in it. Can my IT department access info from my apps? For example, if I have a personal document in my Google Drive app, can my company see that document?

Seems like a lot of confusing comments in this thread.

Did your company issue you an unopened, brand new iPad and did you set up your own Apple ID & account? Are you controling what apps go on it? If so, then it is likely that they cannot unless you are using it on their wifi where they can monitor traffic if they wish. You have to assume that anything you do on their network can be monitored, but like some have said, they likely will not be monitoring you unless they have a good reason to do so. Also, are you syncing to a work PC? If so, they have the right to get all of that stuff too. If they are giving you a setup iPad and an account that they control, then you better believe they can know everything you put on there.

If you really have stuff that is highly private, be carefully putting it on a work iPad. Doesn't seem like much effort is designed in for keeping things private. At least set up a lock screen. But don't assume that anything on your work iPad is yours to keep.

Unless there is a productivity issue or a concern about security, I don't they will spend a lot of time spying on you. Of course, there can be people who have a god complex that may get a kick out of doing stuff because they can.

 

[iDeviceGuru]

The condition of the iPad has nothing to do with it, if the company owns the iPad and is issuing you it free of charge then they can do whatever they like with it, if it's in the contract that they can do what they want with it and you don't agree with that then you don't sign the contract.

The iDevice Guru