[cyclopeanutopia]

This is a ridiculous statement. Everyone I know at my company uses work laptops for personal stuff. It's not in the land of freedom though, so great leaders like yourself can't fire people at will.

TBH at this point I don't believe you are a real person.

[BoneShard]

I stopped doing any personal stuff on a work laptop long time ago, like 10+ years ago. There is absolutely nothing on my work laptop which is not work related. Working from home though helps, I always have my laptop next to me. Same with the phone, under no circumstances I will do anything work related on my personal phone (and yes I do have a company provided phone with MDM and etc).

[satvikpendem]

Consider, do they ever go on explicit websites on that computer? No? Because they know that's surveiled while a personal computer for the same purpose is not. As I said, people do know the difference and might do light personal things like googling something unrelated to work but wouldn't do e.g. banking on a work computer. If they do, well, it'll be their fault if they ever get fired for doing so.

The fact that you don't believe people who don't share your same opinion on mixing work and personal stuff are somehow not "real" is part of the problem.

[Symbiote]

The semi-official policy of my employer in Denmark is you can watch porn on a work computer, so long as you're paying for it. (This reduces the risk of malware etc.)

I say semi-official because someone asked the question at a Q&A training thing with IT, and that was the IT manager's response.

You can see the EU's guide here: https://www.edps.europa.eu/data-protection/data-protection/r...

> Limited private use of these tools is often permitted, generating a level of expectation by employees for privacy: employers should not routinely read employee' emails or check what they are looking at on the internet.

[seanp2k2]

Most companies just don't have a reason to look through the computer they're letting you use to do your job. Don't give them a reason.

Maximizing shareholder value by observing you doing job in the pursuit of replacing you with a very small shell script is a great reason that they've just discovered.

Get your own laptop, pay for your own cellphone, use your own internet service, etc. If you create anything of value on their property or with their property or during times they're paying you in any capacity, expect them to use it for profit.

[satvikpendem]

Exactly, no one is stopping one from using their personal devices for any personal purpose, and the fact that somehow people are defending wanting to do personal things on a work laptop is utterly baffling to me. Like another commenter said, I always grew up with the notion, legal and social, that a company laptop is absolutely not your property and companies can and will look through it. Use your own devices for your own tasks.

[tripzilch]

But surely you could imagine that things work differently in different places.

[eertami]

But the legal notion from where you grew up might not apply worldwide right? People aren't saying you are wrong, they are just saying things are different in other places.

Where I grew up you do have legal right and social expectation not to be under surveillance at work. You even have an expectation of privacy in public spaces - I know this is not the case in other countries, but I accept/know that and it would be senseless to imply this is expected everywhere.

[Ifkaluva]

People get fired for banking on a work computer? Whaaat, no way

[kaashif]

I'm not American or in America, but I wouldn't use a work laptop for anything personal.

I mean I have my own laptop and phone, why would I use a work device for that stuff?

[cesarb]

> I mean I have my own laptop and phone, why would I use a work device for that stuff?

Because you're traveling for work, and carrying two separate laptops eats into your limited baggage size/weight. Things are marginally better now that everything uses the same standard charger, but not much.

[kaashif]

Somehow despite travelling a lot for work, I've never had this happen.

I just do personal stuff on my phone.