An IT worker has revealed some of the sights they saw when paid to 'spy' on co-workers via their computers.
When sat in front of my laptop in my pyjamas, slobbering over a quick sandwich I grabbed for lunch while also yelling at the dog to stop barking at a squirrel outside, it does sometimes cross my mind what work would think should they be peeping at me through my camera.
Thankfully, given just how unethical this would be, their eyes are saved from the sight of my tired and crumb-ridden face, however, one IT worker has revealed he was once paid to 'monitor' a company's employees via their computers and has opened up about just what he saw.
It should really go without saying how unethical a practice it is to spy on someone via their computer lens, but I can't be the only one who's wondered what some people get up to despite technically being online and working.
Advert
A Reddit user called u/OffTheGridSid took to the thread r/AMA on Monday (20 May) to admit they were 'paid' to 'spy' on other 'employee's computers and activities as a Systems Admin'.
They continued: "'Spy' isn't the most accurate term. We use the term 'monitoring,' as detailed in the employment policy. Yes, it is legal, and all employees are required to sign an acknowledgment that they are aware all activities are being monitored for security purposes. Since I have left the job, I can talk about it now.
"I can't disclose confidential, personally identifiable, private, and proprietary information. However, I welcome all other questions."
And well, unsurprisingly, it hasn't taken long for people to flood to the comments to ask about certain experiences.
One user u/BallZDeepInurMom asked: "You ever fire up the camera/mic and drop in on someone’s computer?"
Advert
The user replied they didn't 'intentionally' do this, but sometimes if they were trying to help with camera issues remotely they'd hop in and see the other person on the other side if they were still there.
"They could be scratching their heads, staring into the screen with a blank face like an idiot, or looking out the window pondering why the f**k they are at work and could be doing something else," they continued.
However, 'one incident' certainly 'threw [them] off guard' and occurred when they connected to an executive team member who said he was on lunch.
"I remoted in and fixed the camera software, and as the camera came back online, I saw him getting a b**w job. Thankfully, it was just the back of the woman's head. I can't tell who it was."
Advert
And there were more strange occurrences too.
The IT worker says they discovered 'a guy running a side business selling his wife's used panties online'.
"It was surprising because he never mentioned his wife, didn’t wear a wedding ring, and no one knew he was married," they added. "He would bring the items to work, package them, and ship them out using our mail room."
Advert
They also saw people 'visiting some questionable fetish websites, dating websites, and people who are logging into their OF accounts'.
They continued: "I've also seen browsing history of people asking weird medical questions about their bodies. It's pretty embarrassing, but I don't judge. Move along with my day and pretend I see nothing.
And the most 'disturbing' find? Well, dark web content on one employee's laptop 'including gore images, videos and twisted, f**k up s**t' which ended up synced to the company's OneDrive account and led to the FBI even potentially being involved.
Well, here ends the lesson in how you should use your work laptop.
Featured Image Credit: Getty ImagesTopics: Reddit, Social Media, Technology, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck