Not so far as to peek at a private page on a social networking site, a federal judge has ruled.

The case involved two employees of a restaurant chain who set up a password-protected page on MySpace.

The stated purpose of the page: to “vent about any work BS we deal with … without any outside eyes spying in on us.”

Fired for unprofessionalism

The employer managed to gain access to the page, however, and the two were fired for violating company rules on professionalism, teamwork and attitude.

The two filed suit, claiming the employer had violated federal law by accessing  the MySpace page without authorization.

A jury found in favor of the workers, awarding them a total of $17,000 in back pay and damages.

Privacy rights

The take-home? There are limits to the lengths employers can go to keep tabs on what employees are saying. Private, personal pages are off-limits.

Had the messages been sent in an open forum or over the firm’s e-mail system, they’d likely have been fair game.

Cite: Hillstone Restaurant Group v. Pietrylo. For an overview of the case, go here.

ICE is the federal division that investigates companies for immigration worksite violations.

Earlier this week, ICE sent out more than 650 Notice of Inspections (NOIs) to companies across the country. When an employer receives an NOI, it is required to provide ICE with copies of all employees’ I-9 forms and related documentation — usually within three business days.

The audits are only the first step. Even if ICE doesn’t launch a criminal investigation, companies with I-9 violations may still face civil fines.

Here’s what employers who receive NOIs may want to bear in mind:

• Respond to ICE promptly, even if you have to request a time extension
• Maintain copies of all documents sent in response to the NOI
• Avoid any action that may be considered “tampering” with documentation, such as back-dating or correcting I-9 forms, and
• Consider an internal I-9 review process to examine your company’s procedures.

The e-mail is almost certainly a fraud that entices the recipient to click to “get the details” of the complaint – and then infects your computer with a Trojan Horse virus. The contents of the e-mail include an EEOC logo under the subject line and contain purported language from the EEOC under a subject heading “Employer Liability for Harassment.”

The EEOC has sent out warnings about the scam and what the body of the e-mail typically looks like:

FROM: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
SUBJECT: “Harassment Complaint Update For”
This is an automated email that confirms the registration of harassment complaint #number…this harassment complaint can lead to law enforcement action. You can download and print a copy of this complaint to keep for your personal records here…Our staff will keep you updated regarding the status of our investigation…To check the status of your complaint access:

Then the unsuspecting reader clicks on a link for details and ends up with a virus.

How do you know if you’re really being contacted by EEOC? An e-mail of any type is the first clue that the contact is bogus. EEOC policy notes that any contact with an employer regarding complaints or violations is always done via the U.S. Postal Service and never by e-mail.