Has Thanet Council been negligent or did it lie?
Written by Matt B · first published 21/12/2011
I am forced to wonder if our council is being wilfully ignorant of it's use of IT or just incompetent.
I have just read a Freedom of Information request Use of Internet by Council staff and what I have read is slightly alarming.
Sophie Chadwick, the Contracts and Partnerships Relationship Manager, writes that our council does not have the means to monitor external network communication and so since 2005 has never had to discipline a member of staff for misuse of the internet. As unlikely as this voluntary compliance seems it is fully explained by the admission that our council has no way of knowing if their Internet connection is being abused.
On the face of it this seems to be the sign of an employer that is prepared to look the other way if staff browse porn or generally waste time. It also means that staff can read Thanet blogs at work which is good I think.
However there is more than just a whiff of stupidity here. Our council (and our tax money) is at significant risk due to th lack of good monitoring processes.
I have just read a Freedom of Information request Use of Internet by Council staff and what I have read is slightly alarming.
Sophie Chadwick, the Contracts and Partnerships Relationship Manager, writes that our council does not have the means to monitor external network communication and so since 2005 has never had to discipline a member of staff for misuse of the internet. As unlikely as this voluntary compliance seems it is fully explained by the admission that our council has no way of knowing if their Internet connection is being abused.
On the face of it this seems to be the sign of an employer that is prepared to look the other way if staff browse porn or generally waste time. It also means that staff can read Thanet blogs at work which is good I think.
However there is more than just a whiff of stupidity here. Our council (and our tax money) is at significant risk due to th lack of good monitoring processes.
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