The Associated Press, via the New York Daily News, has reported that as of this Friday, U.S. companies will need to keep track of all the e-mails, instant messages and other electronic documents generated by their employees. The rules, approved by the Supreme Court, require companies and other entities involved in federal litigation to produce electronically stored information as part of the discovery process, when evidence is shared by both sides before a trial.  The change makes it more important for companies to know what electronic information they have and where.

Personally, all these years I’ve been in utter denial that my company has been monitoring my online activities.  Not that I’ve done anything to be very ashamed of, mind you, but there’s just something disconcerting about the IT department recording my every move – whether I’m researching marketing statistics for a client presentation or reading a Hotmail message from my cousin.  Having worked at a Fortune 500 software company for nearly four years, I knew that most corporate organizations have had some sort of tracking system in place since the late 90s.  I guess I just didn’t believe anyone was actually looking individual employee data, or could even find it for that matter.

Now, IT departments will be forced to organize this type of information, and be able to retrieve it readily.  Don’t be fooled, as I was, into thinking that no one cares about what you’re up to, that the IT administration has way more important things to worry about.  If you’re using a corporate network, pay attention to the Web sites you’re surfing.  If you need to report negative or potentially damaging information, do it in person, because e-mails and even instant message conversations last forever.  Sure this stuff probably won’t come back to haunt you, but you never know.  Your daily online behavior, like everything else you do at work, could end up being an important factor in how you’re perceived on the job and in your career as a whole.