Instant Messaging Monitoring

For many parents and employers, instant messaging monitoring has become part of their assumed and usual duties. The popularity of instant messaging, also known as IM, continues to grow, especially as the feature is often available on mobile devices as well as computers. In general, IM is the capability of sending and receiving messages as quickly as the internet can transfer the information from one computer or mobile device to another. It's not quite as quick as a phone call, but almost. Several of the major email service providers also include IM as a standard feature. Individuals open an account by signing up with a user name and secret password. The user name is often a nickname or perhaps a made-up name that the individual chooses, however, new account users may need to be very creative in coming up with a user name that hasn't already been taken. As part of opening an account, the individual will be asked to provide certain personal information for a user profile. This may include the user's first and last names, mailing address, telephone number, date of birth, and, most likely, a security question that can be used to identify the individual in case the user name and/or password are forgotten and need to be retrieved from the IM provider. Rather than setting up accounts on with the well-known email providers, some companies set up their own instant messaging servers. This gives the company management control of the IM usage of the employees.

The large email providers often come with parental controls that assist parents in the instant messaging monitoring of their children. Though technologies such as IM are great for staying in contact with friends, they also have a dangerous side. Wise parents will educate themselves on some of the dangers of IM and establish specific guidelines for the children to follow before allowing them the privilege of an IM account. God has given moms and dads the responsibility of protecting the little ones entrusted to their care. One of the gospel writers recounts how much love and respect that Jesus showed to children: "And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me" (Mark 9:36-37).

Protection begins with setting up the user account. Parents will want to assist the children in entering information on the user profile. All personal information should be kept to a bare minimum -- only what is absolutely needed to set up the account. In fact, the parents may wish to set up the account in the family's name instead of the child's. Parents also are advised to become familiar with the parental control settings. Depending on the age and maturity level of the child, these can be set at different levels. If the parental control settings do not provide enough protection, moms and dads can purchase additional instant messaging monitoring software to install on the family computers and any mobile devices the children may be using. Of course, parents should know their children's user names, but they should also know the user names of the children's friends. This way, moms and dads can know the identities of the people who sending and receiving messages from the children.

In the same way that parents must monitor the children's IM activity, employers also need to monitor the IM activity of the company employees, perhaps by setting up a network of instant messaging servers. Sending and receiving instant messages can be so much fun that it's practically addictive. For a child lazing away a summer day, this may not matter much. But an employee who is paying more attention to these quick conversations (that can last for hours) than the job duties that he was hired to do is costing the business money in terms of lost productivity. But this isn't the only concern employers have when it comes to the popularity of instant messages. If employees are going to be allowed to engage in instant message while on company time, the business must develop a very specific policy that addresses both the appropriate and inappropriate usage of IM. Business management must be concerned with the potential from lawsuits of one employee harassing another through instant messages. Another primary concern is the potential for security breaches if an employee divulges sensitive information to an unauthorized individual.

Companies can address these concerns by establishing instant messaging servers within the business. Powerful software can actually log and archive these quick conversations so that they can be accessed at a later date. Some software will even block conversations that occur outside set parameters established by the company. Another feature monitors outgoing messages for selected trigger words. When an employee includes one or more of the trigger words in her message, the software blocks the message from being sent and notifies the designated administrative staff. Though not every software package will include all these features, even the most basic will most likely have the capability of tracking the amount of time that each employee spends on instant messages. This enables management to address excessive usage on an individual basis. A few software programs are free, but these will provide only basic features. However, the programs with the more sophisticated features often come with a free trial so that a company can test its effectiveness. By setting up a network of instant messaging servers and establishing a clearly written instant messaging monitoring policy, companies can protect themselves from lost productivity, security lapses, and harassment lawsuits.

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