Are You Breaking the Law?

Internet law has developed in lock step with the Internet, and both interpenetrate every aspect of a company-employee relationship. From how to handle employee data to accommodating disabled Internet users to preventing security breaches that an employee's juvenile family members might cause from a computer in the home that is also used for work purposes, numerous new legal difficulties await the unprepared human resource professional. This is the first of a two-part article detailing the top 10 things companies need to know about Internet law.

1. Communicating Internet employee data is akin to broadcasting it.

   While laws vary from state to state, most states make employers liable for preventing dissemination of employee data. This means that when sending employee data via the Internet, precautions ' beyond the standard precautions taken when sending e-mail ' must be taken.

   The Internet works by sending information from computer to computer, with each computer keeping a copy of what it has sent. For example, your computer will send data to an Internet Service Provider computer; that computer will make a copy and send it to a local backbone computer, which makes a copy; that computer will send it to a national backbone computer after making a copy, and so on.

   Generally, employees will give employers confidential information as a condition of employment. Most states require employers to treat that data in such a way that it remains confidential, and sending such data via the Internet may result in a violation of state law.