Legal Question in Employment Law in Illinois

Hello,

I currently am at a situation at work where i unknowingly left my facebook account open at work (on the company's computer) and my boss decided to go through my messages to see "what my boyfriend thought of him". I am curious if there is a privacy right that comes along with this because i feel extremely uncomfortable that my personal messages were looked through. He admitted this to me in the office and also found messages in regards to the company he did not seem to like. I feel like i am going to be fired soon however i do not want to loose my job because i need the funds. Is this something I can use in court if they try to fire me? Or does this not matter since I left my facebook account logged in on their computer. Please respond.

Thank you,

Cortney Myczek


Asked on 5/07/11, 10:34 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Burton Padove Indiana and Illinois Lawyer, Burton A. Padove

You left it open and you were clearly on company time for personal use. I suggest that you start looking for other employments before they have a chance to fire you.

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Answered on 5/08/11, 7:12 am
Betty Tsamis Tsamis Law Firm PC

Since you accessed Facebook from a company computer, there is likely not going to be a good argument for privacy. However, if you get fired for a Facebook posting and the posting is a "complaint" about the work ter ms and conditions, such communication could be protected under federal law.

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Answered on 5/09/11, 1:37 pm


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