Guide to Slack import and export tools • Hacker News Board

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#141

Post by ChuckMcM » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:01 PM UTC

s3nnyy wrote: post #105

tvanantwerp wrote: post #13

As head of IT for a company using Slack: FINALLY. Don't get me wrong--it's not like I want to read your messages and very likely won't. But there are times when I have no choice. A few years back, a group of interns started privately harassing other interns via Slack. Only way to see it was to boot an offending intern from his work station and go into his Slack to see what was happening. We had to make all intern acc…

> "Compare that to our email, where I can go into anyone's messages immediately if need-be. This is all very standard corporate IT stuff that you need for HR and legal reasons." Wow, THAT is highly illegal in Europe.

I was under the impression it WAS legal in Europe as well after being litigated to the Court of Human Rights[1]. The requirement is simply that they inform you ahead of time that they can (and will) monitor your email.

In the US there is usually a form you sign at your hiring that says you understand the company may monitor your email. It is couched in terms like "to ensure compliance with laws and company policy" but the actionable part is that they assert the right to monitor it and you agree to that (or you don't work for them).

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/business/european-court-e...

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#142

Post by cechmaster » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:01 PM UTC

random4369 wrote: post #93

tvanantwerp wrote: post #13

As head of IT for a company using Slack: FINALLY. Don't get me wrong--it's not like I want to read your messages and very likely won't. But there are times when I have no choice. A few years back, a group of interns started privately harassing other interns via Slack. Only way to see it was to boot an offending intern from his work station and go into his Slack to see what was happening. We had to make all intern acc…

There's an infinite space of solutions to your particular problem, but your chosen solution is totalitarian surveillance in the workplace because an intern got offended? I avoid workplaces which force shit like this. So do all the good developers I know, because they're people who can afford to be choosy. Bullies are pretty adept at functioning in these environments. Instead of harassing on monitored DMs, they'll mak…

I think you're mixing up the way businesses run and how society should run. Two different things.

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#143

Post by BLanen » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:01 PM UTC

I don't know why people assumed they couldn't.

Before this, they would've been behind, at max, a subpoena, right?

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#144

Post by matthewcford » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:02 PM UTC

mabermoske wrote: post #126

personjerry wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you provide a small list of solutions as examples?

How about ask the intern being bullied to show the bullying messages?

And the sender deletes the message?

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#145

Post by yiiii » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:02 PM UTC

tvanantwerp wrote: post #13

As head of IT for a company using Slack: FINALLY. Don't get me wrong--it's not like I want to read your messages and very likely won't. But there are times when I have no choice. A few years back, a group of interns started privately harassing other interns via Slack. Only way to see it was to boot an offending intern from his work station and go into his Slack to see what was happening. We had to make all intern acc…

As I do not know which country you are from I really hope you checked before if what you did complies with the legislation as for example in many european countries this would be very illegal.

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#146

Post by bipson » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:02 PM UTC

s3nnyy wrote: post #105

tvanantwerp wrote: post #13

As head of IT for a company using Slack: FINALLY. Don't get me wrong--it's not like I want to read your messages and very likely won't. But there are times when I have no choice. A few years back, a group of interns started privately harassing other interns via Slack. Only way to see it was to boot an offending intern from his work station and go into his Slack to see what was happening. We had to make all intern acc…

> "Compare that to our email, where I can go into anyone's messages immediately if need-be. This is all very standard corporate IT stuff that you need for HR and legal reasons." Wow, THAT is highly illegal in Europe.

I don't think so. The employer has all the rights to look at company emails, there is no right to privacy when using the company's email addresses. There are quite recent verdicts in Germany IIRC, considering if it was unlawful termination if your employer uses information gathered from your emails as reason for the firing. Looking at the emails in the first place was totally lawful, IIRC.

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#147

Post by er0k » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:02 PM UTC

Arubis wrote: post #78

For companies, yeah, this makes sense. It was nice when this wasn't true, but never really expected nor required. Unfortunately, Slack also gets used for a lot of OSS communities. Arguably this was already a poor fit, but now it's even more obviously a mismatched relationship; it's unclear whether one could just start paying for a Slack account and immediately pull all DM history for something that didn't come with t…

> it's unclear whether one could just start paying for a Slack account and immediately pull all DM history for something that didn't come with the expectation of corporate ownership

I've tried. In my experience, Slack will not approve your compliance export application without articles of incorporation.

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#148

Post by technological » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:03 PM UTC

I think this holds true for all slack teams I joined online. Online i mean, like golang slack or any other community created slack team I joined. Is this correct ?

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#149

Post by jlarocco » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:03 PM UTC

drinchev wrote: post #92

Looking at all positive comments here, this is generally a bad news. Not sure how much compliant this is with the law, but in this case the law should be more protective towards employees. I imagine the following situation I write on a company-owned piece of paper - "My boss is an idiot". Then take this piece of paper put it in an envelope ( owned by the company as well ), write the name of my colleague and seal the…

It's funny how much hedging and how many implausible hypothetical scenarios there are in some of these comments.

Re: Guide to Slack import and export tools

#150

Post by ben509 » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:03 PM UTC

nkcmr wrote: post #55

I have never really understood the notion of needing communication privacy in the workplace. To be honest, without having seen this story, I would have assumed this was a feature of Slack already! I can't remember where/when I heard this advice but it seems relevant and helpful for this matter: "Write/speak all communication in the workplace as if the CEO themselves were CCd on the email." It has served me well.

Work is stressful and communication can reach straight into your brain. People go through periods where they're not handling stress very well, and they will often express ideas that, divorced from the context of the stress and bad feelings they have at that point, don't reflect what they really believe or intend to say in public.