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Original poster

Questionable search history from staff member

85 replies

CelticMirror · 04/08/2023 07:49

Please help if you can!

NC for this one.

Shared laptop at our club, which is used at times by the teenagers if we are running a show or concert.

One of the adult staff members leaves his internet search engine account logged in.

I was using the laptop a couple of days ago and found that porn sites come up in the search bar history. I know this isn't being accessed from the club laptop (it's linked to his G account) but I am very, very uncomfortable that one of the kids might have seen this. We have kids as young as 12.

I gently notified the person in charge, who has had a word with him. Person in charge also is convinced that it's unlikely that any of the kids would have seen anything and that the risk is low but I really think he is brushing this under the carpet.

Am I being unreasonable to think that if this was a school, this guy would have been fired instantly?

I'm not sure what the answer is here; the guy in question is a good friend of mine. I know it was a genuine (albeit stupid and very, very thoughtless) mistake, but surely this is a major safeguarding issue?

OP posts:
TowerHouse · 04/08/2023 09:16

Your cyber security isnt good enough
What is being done about that?

lionsleepstonight · 04/08/2023 09:21

Sounds like you are out to get him. How did you find out that porn sites show up in the search history without actually using his account and reviewing the history (at least 4 clicks away).

As pp said, it's searches done at home and has been dealt with accordingly and appropriately.

Original poster
CelticMirror · 04/08/2023 09:31

lionsleepstonight · 04/08/2023 09:21

Sounds like you are out to get him. How did you find out that porn sites show up in the search history without actually using his account and reviewing the history (at least 4 clicks away).

As pp said, it's searches done at home and has been dealt with accordingly and appropriately.

Way off the mark.

I was using Google Chrome as a search engine. The website search terms come up when you start typing.

OP posts:
AquamarineGlass · 04/08/2023 09:37

The key issue to address is to make sure adult sites are blocked to access from that machine.

lanthanum · 04/08/2023 09:38

The rules on the use of the shared laptop need to be massively tightened. Use only for club business, no logging in to personal accounts, separate login for youngsters' use with plenty of search protections, etc. Staff need to be made aware of rules and reasons.

Risk of anything having happened is low, the chap probably didn't realise that his search history from home would show up. Had he had any training/instruction that meant he should have known? The main thing needed here is procedures and training that mean it won't happen again, with him or anyone else.

JonahAndTheSnail · 04/08/2023 09:45

If he's a good friend why don't you speak to him about your concerns and have him set up a separate account just for club use as PPs have suggested? It sounds like he's a bit clueless about how google accounts remember history and how it can transfer to a different computer. I'm guessing this is a club you both volunteer at rather than paid employment? It doesn't mean IT security isn't important, but if noone has ever been appointed with that task, I can see how such a scenario could happen.

MrsDrSpencerReid · 04/08/2023 09:48

What else are you wanting to happen?

It’s been dealt with and you say you don’t want him sacked?

NealBrose · 04/08/2023 09:53

Foolish of him. But it is the club's failure to safeguard that is the problem. Any laptop that is shared, especially if used by minors should be locked down so that only safe browsing is possible. This can be done on both the machine and via the ISP.

SomethingAboutNothing · 04/08/2023 10:01

I think people are misunderstanding that the children wouldn't be able to click on the search and access the porn site just because he has done from home. And if they could then the IT is definitely in need of sorting, and a much bigger problem than what this man does at home on his personal computer. Unless it was a very graphic or illegal act he was googling, then really it was stupid but dealt with appropriate from what I can see. No children were exposed to pornography.

Yusay · 04/08/2023 10:04

YANBU. I do know a teacher who was fired for this. And yes all the searching was done at home.

Original poster
CelticMirror · 04/08/2023 10:07

To anyone asking what I'm wanting to happen.

No, I don't want him fired

But I do think it's serious enough that this should go on record.

OP posts:
RoyalImpatience · 04/08/2023 10:12

I think it's highly irregular to want to search porn in such a place. Is he that desperate /aroused that he needs to be do it at work.

I think it's absolutely vile.

Nopenott0day · 04/08/2023 10:12

CelticMirror · 04/08/2023 10:07

To anyone asking what I'm wanting to happen.

No, I don't want him fired

But I do think it's serious enough that this should go on record.

For doing what 99% of blokes do in their own privacy do?

RoyalImpatience · 04/08/2023 10:13

I also can't believe peoples are focusing on the logistics of the computer not why he is mentally wanting to search porn at that time.

OneTwoThreeShake · 04/08/2023 10:14

I'm confused on a few different fronts here.

If he's such a close friend, why didn't you tell him he'd forgot to log out?

Why don't you have adult content blockers on a laptop used by children at the club? For me, this is the safeguarding fail.

And if the children are able to go and browse his search history, they're able to type porn terms into a search engine and merrily view the results, so it is low risk.

OneTwoThreeShake · 04/08/2023 10:15

RoyalImpatience · 04/08/2023 10:13

I also can't believe peoples are focusing on the logistics of the computer not why he is mentally wanting to search porn at that time.

At what time? He was at home.

Fancylike · 04/08/2023 10:16

What does your digital policy say? Has there be training on privacy which goes over account logins? If not, this is the workplace’s issue for not disabling personal account logins and effectively tracking his private Google account.

RedHelenB · 04/08/2023 10:17

Calmdown14 · 04/08/2023 08:25

If from the search history kids would be able to click on the link and access this stuff, they could just as easily type it in themselves surely?

If your systems allow them to do that and they use them without supervision your IT systems are insufficient.

Your colleague shouldn't have left himself logged in but it sounds like you lack proper IT procedure. Any disciplinary process against him should also take this into account.

It sounds like an urgent review is required for everyone as this has highlighted a huge loophole.

This

Salome61 · 04/08/2023 10:39

How difficult for you.

I used to run the village youth club for 8-12 year olds, and we had a few laptops. I did alternate weeks with a husband and wife team, and would drop the laptops off at their home. One day I was checking the laptops and found very personal photographs on one of them. The wife held an important job locally, I was so shocked the husband had done this.

ManateeFair · 04/08/2023 10:44

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 04/08/2023 08:36

A teacher would absolutely be sacked for this. Looking at porn on a school computer during school time breaks about every safeguarding rule there is.

We had to lock our computers if we left them unattended.

Show quote history

He didn't look at porn on the shared laptop at work though. He looked at porn at home, on his own devices and in his own time, and it showed in his Google Chrome search history because he has a Google account and it simply imported his search history when he signed into Google Chrome on the shared laptop. It's quite a common problem for people who use the Google Chrome browser for work as well as at home.

It's an embarrassing one-off mistake and nothing more. It would be easily prevented by having a universal sign-in to Google for the club as a whole instead of people using their own.

AngryGreasedSantaCatcus · 04/08/2023 10:48

CelticMirror · 04/08/2023 10:07

To anyone asking what I'm wanting to happen.

No, I don't want him fired

But I do think it's serious enough that this should go on record.

What is "this"? The fact that he watches porn or his appalling internet safety practices?

CattyCattle · 04/08/2023 10:49

What would you like to go on his record OP? None of the children could have access to any of the results of his historical search. Really this is a company issue for not having company accounts for users.

No children were harmed
No child saw porn
He has been spoken to about logging out of his personal google account
He was not accessing porn at work

I think your moralistic judgement is more the issue than this non issue.

ManateeFair · 04/08/2023 10:50

RoyalImpatience · 04/08/2023 10:13

I also can't believe peoples are focusing on the logistics of the computer not why he is mentally wanting to search porn at that time.

Do you understand what a search history actually is?

He wasn't searching for porn while he was the club or while he was using the club laptop. He was searching for porn on his own device, at his own home, in his own time, which he is perfectly entitled to do. That is why the 'logistics of the computer' are important - it's the logistics of the computer that have created the problem.

ManateeFair · 04/08/2023 10:53

RoyalImpatience · 04/08/2023 10:12

I think it's highly irregular to want to search porn in such a place. Is he that desperate /aroused that he needs to be do it at work.

I think it's absolutely vile.

FFS, he wasn't doing it at work!!

Read the thread. Why is this so hard to understand?

Hadjab · 04/08/2023 10:55

RoyalImpatience · 04/08/2023 10:12

I think it's highly irregular to want to search porn in such a place. Is he that desperate /aroused that he needs to be do it at work.

I think it's absolutely vile.

I really think you should read all of OP's posts again, and if that doesn't make the situation clearer, read the full thread.