There is no way to hide Internet surfing at work, and as you can see, your boss does not have to hover over your shoulder while you are using your computer at work. When you think that the employer is watching every step you take on the company computer, it can be scary – and can lead to higher productivity, but you know it feels unsafe to know that your personal information can not only be tracked, but also used by your employers.
The best solution to hide your internet activity is to use a VPN – a VPN basically works as a mask. Using a work VPN means that the traffic from your device to the company’s servers is encrypted so that your employer cannot see what you are doing on your PC – rather than see the websites you are visiting. However, most employers have a block on such programs being installed on work-provided equipment, making half of the battle useless.
Employers can only check your browsing history if you have used the company’s computer – and only for a short period of time, depending the laws in some states.
When you connect your home computer to your work, you can track what you’re doing with it, but the company can’t. You’re only subject to the company’s rules if you are their device or their Wi-Fi. Therefore, working from home on your own PC and Wi-Fi makes you safe.
If your employer’s monitoring policy says that you are doing activities outside of your working hours that are not related to work, activity on agency-provided devices doesn’t matter. In many workplaces, the online activities you monitor are possible or even likely to be monitored, whether you are doing activities that are not related to work at work or during your leisure time. There have been stories of employees being let go for interactions and behaviors over wild weekends or on vacations.
Consider what kind of information you access on your company computer and what types of activities you are familiar with your employer’s knowledge of, if any. Does an employee expect privacy when using an employer-owned laptop? Your employer can fire you if they read information in your email that are unsavory – or fire you for reading from your personal account, just depending upon their policies. Same thing for any work-provided cell phones.