Big brother is watching

Sophisticated software lets companies monitor an employee's every move

A growing number of Japanese employers are monitoring staff with the help of home-grown programs, including installing mini cameras on employees' computers, according to a new study.

The recent study by Tokyo's Institute of Information Security found that more than 30 per cent of large Japanese companies monitor PC use among staff.

In five years, most companies will be monitoring PC use, said an associate professor at the institute.

Tracking employees' web usage is nothing new. Many companies use tracking software to keep track of sites visited, e-mails sent and files accessed.

The software first appeared in the United States in the mid-1900s, but has become much more sophisticated in Japan. One new program allows employers to monitor employees in real-time through mini web cameras, zooming in when a worker acts suspicious.

Other programs monitor an employee's moves on a computer down to the minute, or analyze e-mails sent between employees to identify cliques and loners in the workforce.

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