It might sound invasive, but employers are legally within their
rights to know what employees are saying on the job. Nearly 80 percent
of large U.S. companies monitor employees’ use of email, internet and
phone calls, according to a survey released last
year by the American Management Association. About one‑fourth of those
firms have fired employees for misusing those channels.
Companies are fighting the inside battle on two fronts: with
malicious employees, and with others who unknowingly trigger security
disasters. Not surprisingly, 90% of companies today report that they
feel vulnerable to inside security threats, whether they’re
intentional or not, according a survey from CA Technologies.
Training employees to recognize phishing and fake emails can help
address inadvertent breaches. But relying on people to sift through
communications to find what’s basically a needle in a haystack is impossible.
That’s where technology comes in. Holmes, the Hollywood consultant,
says his firm uses X1 Social Discovery, which collects and makes
searchable data from social networks and the internet, to help follow
social media mentions of studios and certain A‑list stars. His team
also created special Python scripts to track buzz involving its clients.
This year, Holmes’ team squashed two minor leaks involving
unreleased trailers. Declining to go into specifics, Holmes said the
leaks involved a couple of young, lesser‑known actors apparently
“trying to impress their friends” with what they were working on.
“In each of those cases we talked to them, using a soft‑glove
approach, and we kindly asked them to take their posts down,” Holmes
says. “They did.”
A couple years ago, Holmes tracked down a man who had posted package
art for a blockbuster movie that was about to go to DVD on an online
entertainment forum.
“We noticed a little bit of chatter, found out who the guy was,” he
says. “Turns out he worked at the marketing company working for the
studio. “So we stopped him from doing it and the marketing company got
in big trouble.”
He said the incident was not well‑publicized because they caught the
leak early. “The key is to look for everything,” says Holmes. “If you
think you know what you're looking for, you're definitely going to
miss something.”