Latest News Archive

BT Members: Internet Abuse

16 November 2005

Despite repeated warnings and guidance issued by BT and the CWU over the past four years, the level of Internet misuse cases continues to be significant. In the last year there have been 430 disciplinary awards made across all grades in connection with this type of misconduct. Of these, around half have resulted in dismissal, including several Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Branch members.

It is important for members to realise the extent and sophistication of BT’s monitoring of Internet access and traffic across its network. Detection of unauthorised or inappropriate use of the Internet from BT access points (either fixed or mobile) is inescapable.

• BT Security has access to logs of all Internet access by registered user and IP address. BT’s other policies about computer security mean that unauthorised use of an individual employee’s equipment or identity is (a) unlikely and (b) in itself Gross Misconduct.
• Additionally, "forensic examination" of hard disc drives can reveal patterns of Internet usage. Commercially available "clean up" programmes will not erase information sufficiently thoroughly enough to avoid detection of inappropriate accesses.
• BT’s warning screens that appear when attempts to access sites deemed as inappropriate are made are also increasingly sensitive.

The advice to members who are contemplating access to, or feel the urge to access inappropriate sites that are largely, but not exclusively, of a pornographic nature is quite simply DON’T.

A clean past disciplinary record, long service, family commitments and contribution to the business will not save your job in these circumstances, and Employment Tribunals are exceptionally unlikely to view such behaviour with any sympathy.

There is an ongoing debate about mitigating circumstances and to what extent these should be and are taken into account by BT managers. The T&FSE will be reviewing its policy to ensure it is still fit-for-purpose.

We cannot help members if they are not absolutely candid with us about what they have done, and why. This is especially true for internet abuse cases as arguments in mitigation are generally all we can hope to rely on.

Further advice regarding Internet, Intranet and E-Mail Misuse

Further advice regarding Offensive Mobile Phone Images