Computer experts a question re workplace computer spying

[Beringia]

I work from home and sometimes visit a website not owned by the company I work for, but a separate website that people post on about the company. There is a lot of negative talk on there, but it is a place to vent and get help. Someone posted on there, or several people, that our company has the ability to trace our posts to our IP address. I wondered if this was possible. I know the owner of the website could trace the IP address, but not a separate company.

Hopefully my post makes sense.

[Journeyman]

1. Are you certain the company you work for didn't set up the website to trap disgruntled employees?...

Remember, that's one of the more insidious realities of 1984: that the Brotherhood may only be a fiction, created by Big Brother to ferret out the malcontents.

[Beringia]

8. No they don't own the website

It is a generic website for our trade with many discussion titles in it. One on there is for our company.

[arcane1]

2. Does the company own the computer you use for work?

I can see that being a way to track your activities.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

3. Do you use VPN to attach to your work network?

if you do, then it's possible that they can track each website you visit while logged in to VPN...it depends on how this is set up at your workplace. If you're using a work laptop at home, whether VPN connected or not, your workplace may monitor your usage.

If you're using your own machine and not using VPN, all other things being equal, they wont be able to see what websites you're visiting.

[Beringia]

6. work on computer

I have to log onto their company website, and download jobs to do. So they could tell my IP address from that. Also we have a IM system that we have to log onto and special email set up by the company.

I don't use a laptop.

[dilby]

4. I would avoid complaining about your employer online.

It's not worth it and if they find out that you did they can dismiss you.

[WillowTree]

7. Absolutely! Not much good could come from it.

I wouldn't even visit that site, regardless of whether or not I was posting anything, from a company computer. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. As others have noted, if it's your computer

and not the company's chances are no...except...

It's been a while since I did website work, but I seem to think I recall one of the environmental variables browsers pass along is the site from which you came last. So if your company is particularly paranoid, I suppose they could be logging hits on their own websites that pass along that 'last page' variable as being from that site. To avoid that scenario always close out the tab or window from which you were on that other site, and visit your own company's sites from fresh windows/tabs.

[Beringia]

9. thanks for the info

[Man from Pickens]

10. Some possibilities

If your web traffic goes through the corporate network, they can track everything.

If the computer is owned by your employer, they can have it loaded with tracking software without your knowledge.

If you have to run any programs (including browser add-ons/extensions) supplied by your employer, your web visits can be tracked and/or harvested.

There are also some dirty tricks that can be employed as well. If I put a 1-pixel transparent image in a forum post, the server I host that image on can collect the IP addresses of all who view it. If your company isn't all that scrupulous about the law, there are website hacks that can gather even more information on visitors. Some sites publicly post visitor logs - do a web search on your own IP address and you might be surprised what you find.

One thing we know for sure from what you have told us is that your company does have your IP address (since you download jobs from their website) and can connect it to you individually, so all they need is another reference point to make a match.

One possible solution is to use a different browser for non-official-work purposes and set it up to work through a proxy so that the IP addresses will be different.

[Beringia]

11. thanks

It is my own computer.