Email And Internet In The Workplace—Guidelines From The German Data Protection Conference

The conference of the independent federal and state data protection authorities in Germany ("Data Protection Conference") has published guidelines for employers on the limits of control of email and other Internet services in the workplace on January 27, 2016. Within these guidelines, the data protectionists emphasize their restrictive position regarding the employer's control rights.

The guidelines summarize the common position of the data protection authorities. The document contains fundamental recommendations for public authorities and companies. While these guidelines will not be legally binding, they contain the basis for the data protection authorities' examination and evaluation of the processing of personal data. As such, the guidelines provide an indication on how the authorities will most likely decide in specific situations.