I'm going to be writing my next newsletter on privacy, and I wanted to mention something about it now, ahead of time.

In essence, there is no such thing as privacy anymore, especially as it pertains to work. More and more companies are penalizing employees for behavior outside of work, and that's scary. A friend of mine mentioned that there are many things he doesn't do on Facebook because his employers have access to his profile, and he can't take any chances in what they might do to him if they saw something inappropriate there. I work for myself, and kind of understand that type of thinking, though my profile is limited to certain people, but I also feel that some things aren't appropriate being attached to me on that site.

No one gets a free pass anymore on what they say or what they do. In many cases I think it's fair; no one should be allowed to say a bunch of hateful things about a group of people and still feel they can work with those people as if nothing had happened. And if others are mad at them for those beliefs and thoughts, well, those are the consequences for bad behavior. In some cases I don't think it's fair; just because you decide you want to smoke outside of work in a place where smoking is allowed, even inside your home, shouldn't give any employer the right to determine that you're not of enough quality to work for them, even if they pay for your insurance.

Basically, be prepared folks; cameras are going up everywhere, you can find almost anything about anyone in the internet, and listening devices are cheap. Be on your guard, and your best behavior, especially if you're dependent upon someone else for your money.