ImageBeagle - Know What's On Your Computers

Protect your company from computer pornography and sexual harrassment lawsuits

•Typical sexual harassment lawsuit costs more than $100,000 to win

•Internet filters generally fail to block 20% of sites deemed objectionable

The number of sexual harassment claims filed against companies is rising. Unless a suit is thrown out in a summary judgment, the average cost of winning is enormous - not including the time, energy and business focus lost to the legal process.

Plaintiffs in such lawsuits must establish evidence of a hostile work environment. Pornography stored on computers - in email, browser files, and simple images - is a telltale indicator of deficiencies in company policy forbidding harassment.

To protect itself, a company must have more than a policy. It must take proactive steps to enforce that policy. Filtering software only partly addresses the problem by providing a "borderguard" designed to keep pornography out. But research shows filters are only 60-70% effective, and they don't monitor all avenues of access: web browsing, email, screen savers, custom programs, CDs brought from outside, etc.

Unless you can show that your company has implemented a thorough system for thwarting porn, you risk lengthy, expensive, emotionally draining legal battles. Worse - if it is shown that you turned a blind eye to the problem, you can suffer a much greater financial penalty.

In short - inaction can be disastrous.