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The broader question: Is personal privacy a right, anywhere you are?

I have been looking online and could not find a clear answer to this.

Is it ok to use a VPN at work? Is it an employee's right to use a VPN in the workplace because of privacy concerns?

Does the company see this as wrong and can they cause any trouble for an employee using a VPN? Are there any security risks to company data when an employee is using a vpn to access this data?

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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – user44108
    Dec 6, 2018 at 7:57

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Why are you using a VPN at work, that is what the company wants to know?

You are using the companies resources: time, computer, network; then the company in most jurisdictions has the right to know what you are doing.

If you need to download software to use the VPN then the company is concerned whenever software they haven't approved is installed onto their computer. How do they know it isn't exposing their system to Malware?

Even if there is no Malware, if you are using their system for illegal activities they won't like being associated with those activities.

You are trying to hide activity from your employer, but you are allowing the VPN vendor to know what you are doing.

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  • @mhoran_psrep good points. But where does personal privacy end and the concerns you mentioned start. You dont have to be doing anything wrong to just want and be entitled to privacy for no particular reason even.
    – Razvan Emil
    Dec 5, 2018 at 18:13
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    @EmilRR1 - when you use the company's resources to do something, then yes you do give up many privacy rights while doing that something, with the exception of certain sensible things like using the bathroom. You do not have a right to use the company's resources for your personal activities, and anything you do on behalf of the company doesn't have any privacy rights attached to it.
    – brhans
    Dec 5, 2018 at 18:29
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    @EmilRR1 heres the problem: unless you own the VPN, you have no idea what you are exposing the companies network to. You have no idea what type of information is being logged based on the packets you feed it.
    – SaggingRufus
    Dec 5, 2018 at 18:43
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    they very well could be and there is no way of knowing. Also, your company does have a right to know what you accessing via their network because well... its their network. The same reason they are allowed to install monitoring tools an their own equipment
    – SaggingRufus
    Dec 5, 2018 at 18:45
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    @EmilRR1 it's not deep or shallow so much as discussion vs Q&A. This site just has a different purpose than discussion.
    – thursdaysgeek
    Dec 5, 2018 at 19:04

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