Judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have joined the growing number of workers revolting against employer computer monitoring by disabling the software installed to detect the downloading of material deemed improper by their employer. Leonidas Ralph Mecham, who is in charge of the Administrative Offices of the Courts, had the software installed after a study showed that as much as 7% of the network traffic was not work related. It is an interesting twist, as these judges are facing the same issue in the courtroom -- employers’ rights versus employees’ privacy protections in the electronic workplace.
See "Judges Revolt Against Net Snooping by U.S.", Neil A. Lewis, New York Times Service, International Herald Tribune, August 8, 2001