Question # 1

Companies should have the right to track employees through

company smartphones and monitor their personal Facebook
and Twitter accounts?
Companies monitor their employees to ensure that no harm is being done
within the workplace. A professional business wants to be viewed exactly
that way; professional. If an employee makes statements that are
malicious or harmful to the employer’s business reputation, this could
potentially lead that employee down a very difficult path due to the
social media privacy laws put into place. Companies are not allowed to
request or demand personal account login information from employees.
The only reason an employer should have access to an account is if, and
only if, a potentially legal issue within their policy reaches the surface
and needs direct attention.

Question#2
Employees should be able to maintain their personal privacy
and not be tracked through their company smartphones or
their Facebook and Twitter accounts?
An employer’s goal is not only to protect their company, but also to protect
their employees.  With social media uprising it may seem impossible to put
rules into place, but with proper guidelines and policies, employers and
employees can both feel at ease.
It is important to both the employer and the employee that social media use
be monitored. This is simply to ensure that within the online realm, things
are kept professional from both parties. An employer wouldn’t want an
employee to leave work and bad mouth the company to all of their online
friends. In relation, an employee would not want their boss snooping on
their social media page. To ensure that these things don’t occur, it is best to
put a policy into place that way if something does occur there will be
precautionary steps taken to solve the issue. With proper guidelines and
regulations in place, social media monitoring can potentially help a
company succeed in many different aspects of the business.
Conclusion
Monitoring company electronic and digital devices, including phones and
computers, is legal in all states. However, monitoring these devices without
employee knowledge can create an ethical dilemma for you as a business owner
because of the personal information you may hear or see.