The Privacy Arms Race (16 Jun 2004)

Usability Views Article Details

The Privacy Arms Race (16 Jun 2004)
In the 1830s, workers at New England's textile mills lived in company houses, worked in company factories, and worshipped at the company church. Attendance was mandatory. Milton Hershey and Henry Ford are both famous for having hired detectives to keep an eye on their employees outside of work. Ford even created his own sociological department, staffed by 50 inspectors who kept tabs on autoworkers' behavior off the job. Misbehave, and your wallet got a little lighter come payday.

So why are we surprised when, generations later, employers do their darnedest to invade our privacy?

Article URL: http://www.fastcompany.com/subscr/84/open_essay.html

Read 25 more articles from Fast Company sorted by date, popularity, or title.

Next Article: The Soundtrack of Success

Some of the people who make up the Userati group

This site is a labour of love built by Chris McEvoy