Voyeur nation
Voyeur nation
Nov 01, 2004: When it comes to accessing porn at the workplace, Australians definitely like to watch. And is your webcam being exploited as a tool by a Peeping Tom? Stuart Finlayson reluctantly accepts the mission to delve into the seamier side of the Net. There can be little doubt that there are a lot of fans of grubby Internet content in Australia. What's more, a large voyeuristic element exists within our nation's workforce, with more people admitting to being aroused at the sight of sexually-explicit images on a colleague's work-station than by viewing such images on their own computer.
At least, that is according to the findings of a survey entitled 'Sexually Explicit Material in the Workplace', commissioned by Internet and email filtering company SurfControl.While there ought to be real cause for concern at some of the survey's findings, such as the fact that one in three workers download porn or use work email to send sexually explicit images to colleagues, before Australia embarks on a collective bout of soul searching and introspection over our predilection for porno, it should be noted that our counterparts in the UK and the US are no less culpable when it comes to copping an eyeful in the workplace.
I know this because the survey in question is an international affair, as it were, with UK and US workers also polled. And it would seem that where pornography is concerned, US workers are more tactful and considerate of others than Australians and Brits, with Aussies and UK workers more likely to send porn on company email. Not only that, but the sneaky blighters are also more likely to do so from a colleague's computer (53 percent) than from their own (40 percent).
Charles Heunemann, managing director of SurfControl in Australia, says the results show that too many workers are behaving badly and the consequences of their actions could be dire, both for the individuals concerned and their organisations.
"This should sound a warning bell to employers who fail to properly manage Internet and email usage. If workers are offended by explicit spam, this can have legal implications," adding that the findings were particularly concerning given that almost two-thirds of workers shared their computers.
The voyeur invading your home
Worryingly, it's not only in the workplace where the voyeuristic element of our society may be getting their jollies at your expense.
According to a report by anti virus software provider Sophos, a worm is in circulation that has the ability to use a computer user's webcam to spy on them in their home, or indeed at the their place of work.
Codenamed W32/Rbot-GR, the worm spreads via network shares, exploiting a number of Microsoft security vulnerabilities.
Once installed on an infected computer, remote hackers can easily gain access to the information on the PC's hard drive and steal passwords, as well as spy on innocent users via their webcam and microphone.
"More and more hackers are interested in spying on the people they manage to infect with their worms and Trojan horses. In the workplace, this worm opens up the possibilities of industrial espionage. At home it is equivalent to a Peeping Tom who invades your privacy by peering through your curtains," says Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "If your computer is infected and you have a webcam plugged in, then everything you do in front of the computer can be seen, and everything you say can be recorded."
Take heed, Ms Hilton!
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