October 12th 2007

If you think your words disappear forever when an instant messaging (IM) session is closed, think again.

Your IM is not a safe refuge for private chatter. Companies and government agencies can monitor and log instant-messaging conversations conducted on company computers. Google™ saves chat sessions automatically and they can be searched later. Users of Google Talk must disable the setting or choose "off the record" for sessions they don't want saved.

Instant-messaging services such as AOL's AIM, Yahoo's Yahoo Messenger, and Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger don't store conversations on their servers automatically, but they offer various tools for companies and individuals to log conversations.

Recent scandals demonstrate that instant messaging is not private. Government-monitored IMs in North America found inappropriate messages by a member of Congress, who then resigned. And IMs have figured in corporate scandals, as well. Instant-messaging services are offering a host of new products and tools for tracking IMs. AIM Pro, a free version for individuals and businesses, automatically archives conversations and saves them for 14 days. The feature can be extended or turned off.

Microsoft's Live Communications server, allows a company's IT department to log and search employee conversations, including those on IM services like Yahoo and AOL.

A recent study shows 13% of companies now track and log instant messages. The crackdown, however, is starting to take effect. Two percent of employers have fired someone because of what they said, and about 26 percent of companies have fired someone for misuse of email.