Wal-Mart Learns The Hard Way Not To Piss Off The Guy Who Keeps Track Of All Your Secrets
from the oops-my-bad dept
Over the past several weeks, The Wall Street Journal has run several articles telling the story of a Wal-Mart employee who was fired last month as federal investigators began investigating claims that he intercepted phone calls and text messages of a number of employees and outsiders, including a New York Times reporter. Similar to the infamous HP spying case, Wal-Mart was trying to track down the source of some leaked company memos, and the fired employee says he was pursuing the leak on the instructions of a company senior VP, as part of his job within Wal-Mart's "Threat Research and Analysis Team" -- an internal security operation that put's HP's ragtag private investigators to shame. Another WSJ story last week gave some insight into the team and what it does, painting a pretty grim picture of the levels of surveillance the company uses on its own employees, and even external vendors. For instance, the company monitors the activity of vendors' computers connected to its network, for things even as minute as whether they're surfing porn, by using software that supposedly detects flesh tones when they're displayed on screen. The company apparently started monitoring calls after the 9/11 attacks "in response to government requests to employers in general to help find terrorist cells". Unsurprisingly, Wal-Mart didn't find any. The company has now sued the fired employee, alleging he's divulged trade secrets in all the WSJ articles, and it fears he's harboring information about "Project Red", a top-secret strategic plan for the company. Wal-Mart doesn't enjoy the best public image, and the stories of the Orwellian security tactics it uses are hardly likely to improve that standing, nor is it likely to placate the company's shareholders, who are growing increasingly unhappy with Wal-Mart's stagnant share price.
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we already knew...
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Expected...
The employee that was fired and is now being sued seems to have brought this on himself... that's why companies has you sign a nondisclosure agreement, so you can be sued for leaking information.
Walmart obtained the top role in their marketing arena and all the problems that go with it. In the grand scheme of things none of this matters to their bottom line, but it is interesting to peer into the working of a giant.
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purely FYI
It's abundantly clear that corporations are running the show. They do whatever they want, and they get away with it as long as they continue to provide shareholder value. Oh, and political contributions.
The proof that political contributions qualify as dividends on investments of political capital is left as an exercise to the reader.
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No suprise...
For instance, the company monitors the activity of vendors' computers connected to its network, for things even as minute as whether they're surfing porn, by using software that supposedly detects flesh tones when they're displayed on screen.
Well of course they monitor any pcs that are connected to their network. It is their network and they are responsible for it. And while porn by itself isn't going to put the network in jepordy we know that often times porn sites could have all sorts of ad/mal/spyware attached to them.
As for that software that detects flesh tones how does it know victoria's secret's website from www.(insert kinky title).com?
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Re: No suprise...
Just to be on the safe side, better stick to sites that specialise in "vintage" black-and-white porn, then.
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Re: Re: No suprise...
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Re: No suprise...
:-(
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Re: Re: No suprise...
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I like Wal-Mart
Speaking of China, I'm hungry....where's my wok?
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You mean like...
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If you believe this you need to watch Penn and Teller's Bullshit on Showtime. Unless you don't like all those pesky facts getting in the way.
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Flesh Tones
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I see nothing evil/orwellian/etc in these practices. They are pretty standard for any company these days.
So in short. Get over it.
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Walmart in general
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Jeesh! It's not like the Walmart greeters - those 90 year old people that greet ya - were BTKing people!
lmao! COME ON! ;-)
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Walmart is Big Brother in more ways than one
No problem, we figured. I'll just buy it myself. But no...they wouldn't sell it to ME because it was for my daughter. In other words, Walmart thought it knew better than my wife and I how our daughter should be raised. When I called the manager, he told me it was company policy.
Needless to say, we no longer shop at Walmart, and we tell our friends not to either.
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Re: Walmart is Big Brother in more ways than one
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Walmart is Big Brother in more ways than one
No problem, we figured. I'll just buy it myself. But no...they wouldn't sell it to ME because it was for my daughter. In other words, Walmart thought it knew better than my wife and I how our daughter should be raised. When I called the manager, he told me it was company policy.
Needless to say, we no longer shop at Walmart, and we tell our friends not to either.
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Re: Walmart is Big Brother in more ways than one
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Re: Walmart is Big Brother in more ways than one
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Three step program
2. When press finds out employee was spying on other employees fire him.
3. When employee reveals that he was doing his job and that he was hired to monitor other employees and tries to clear his name sue him.
And there are tons of programs to block porn out there it sounds like they were trying to get dirt on vendors by recording the dirty sights they go to without blocking them. At least that was the implication of the post.
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Re: Three step program
I do know of several employee's that have worked for years for the Sams company, and no longer get raises at all because of the cap. Their insurance has been upped instead of the 6 months wait till you get it I believe it is nine now. Who the hell can work for a company with a family etc, and not be insured sooner than this? I watched a few employees struggle to take care of their family's with no insurance, and Sam's and maybe even wal-mart wont insure them because their insurance doesn't kick in till the 9 months is up. Why? Because they don't want to insure someone that will leave in say 7 months due to lack of insurance or benefits. OH! but get this, they can get other employees benefits like 401k etc. lol I believe they do this for greed. Everyone knows that there is a kickback on that 401k for businesses. But when it comes to health insurance, the company's have to pay.
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Walmart
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Imus rules...
http://www.funnybone.com/xtoons/babythug.shtml
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You all can't be serious...
Wher in the H#ll do you people come up with this stuff? Why are they evil?
Because they are the market leader in their segment?
Because they resist union inroads and unreasonable demands?
Because they weed out substandard employees?
Because they exercise their right and duty as a corporation to make and maximise profits?
Like anti-Semitism, I simply do not understand anti-Wal-Martism. It seems to me to be something fostered by bitter, jealous people who wish THEY had the insight and persistance to build one of the worlds largest corporations and employers. It also seems to me that the minimum wage types that whine about Wal-Mart should be grateful such a behemoth exists to provide jobs for them, and affordable products.
Furthermore, Employees have an obligation to their employer to act in a manner that is complimentary to their employer, and ex-employees have a legal obligation to keep their mouth shut about corporate affairs unless legal or serious safety concerns are involved.
Wal-Mart, has the right to take whatever actions to ensure corporate security and confidence. Just as you, the individual do. Work to erode thir rights and you work to erode your own.
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Re: You all can't be serious...
Wow, sounds like successful capitalism, and a mis-understanding (or unwillingness to learn economics). Wal-Mart admits there may be a very few small businesses specifically affected by a large store entering a geographical area, but statistics from Chambers of Commerce show that a Wal-Mart overwhelmingly can energize the economics of a depressed area.
Building a Wal-Mart brings in other satellite "mom & pop "businesses into the shopping area, providing a net increase in jobs and wages, and allow a higher standard of living for lower prices that may have been available before-hand.
You folks need to *study* the economics objectively, and quick hating a business just because it is large... that is over-simplistic, juvenile and myopic.
Don't believe everything you read about "evil" corporations... If you feel so strongly, don't buy there, and start your own large "holy" corporation, and see how long until you get hate-mongered when you become successful and profitable (never mind all the jobs and services you provide to millions of consumers and manufacturer's employees).
Is there room to improve? Sure. Does hate-mongering help? No.
Stay objective, people....
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Wow there are a lot of stupid people...
All Walmart does is what every other company in America tries to do, but they do it a little better and on a larger scale. Welcome to capitalism, if you would like to live in a global super power your going to have to get acquainted. You can't complain that mom and pop shops are going out of business and then turn around and fight for fair competition agreements. In competition there are winners and losers and the little guys are not going to be able to stand toe to toe with a giant. If they don't want to go under they better adapt (although they will have a hard time competing with the perfect business model where their competition actually control both distribution and production).
If you guys want to complain about how horrible it is to work for Walmart, don't work for them. I hated minimum wage jobs, that's why I educated myself and started down the path of software development.
PS: If you hate Walmart business tactics, check out Circuit City and how they just laid off all their higher paid staff to make room for new cheap labor... and they do it right in front of you all the time.
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Companies that aren't as evil
Capitalism is not just the lowest price, again, the success of ShopKo shows how they targeted Wal-Mart's weaknesses to be successful. It is possible to compete with Wal-Mart and beat them, though as you say, it cannot be done by trying to be Wal-Mart.
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Re: Wow there are a lot of stupid people...
How about companies like Target and Costco, they seem to be able to make good profits and still pay their employees well. Good benefits too!
"All Walmart does is what every other company in America tries to do, but they do it a little better and on a larger scale."
They don't do it better. They do it cheaper, ever tried to get customer service in Walmart? lol
"In competition there are winners and losers and the little guys are not going to be able to stand toe to toe with a giant. If they don't want to go under they better adapt (although they will have a hard time competing with the perfect business model where their competition actually control both distribution and production)."
So mom and pops stores have no chance? Sounds like Walmart has an unfair advantage. It is also important to note that mom and pop shops pay better and give better benefits. On top of this they actually return money to the community unlike Walmart who even sucks up their wages due to the fact almost all workers shop there for everything.
In effect they don't even pay their workers because the workers often spend their whole check there. So while Walmart "helps" the poor people with cheap prices they also help to keep their workers poor and shopping there driving a sick and sad cycle that could only be described as economic enslavement.
Despite what Walmart says it has a devastating impact on communities it enters. It is a fact that all small independent stores that compete with Walmart in the community will likely go out of business. Too bad we aren't like most of Europe that actually protects its small businesses.
Of course Walmart is also contributing to the enormous trade deficit we have in the USA. Just about all of their products come from China further cutting out the American worker.
Is Walmart a good company? Not be any measurement I have seen. They should be featured on the MAD TV skit lowered expectations. Crappy service, cheaply made products, and impoverished workers. What a great combination :)
Boy, lets all get around the fire and praise Walmart!
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Better companies than Wal*Mart
Target
Kmart/Sears (Sears side - don't know about the KMart side)
McDonalds
As a former (lower level) Walmart employee, I know from experience that those 3 are better.
FYI - Walmart was not my first job...It was after Sears and before McDonalds...about 15 years ago...
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Wake Up America
Second, corporations monitoring traffic on their network this nothing new. Every SMART corporation does it, from you 5 user companies to your 100,000+. The reason is simple they are paying for the equipment you are using and it is their right to know what you are doing with it. Most users have a knack of screwing up their computers in one way or another, intentional or unintentional, the company has to pay to repair / replace the damaged goods. In addition, many companies have things like trade secrets, vender lists, and client lists that they don’t want any pissed off employee walking off with. So if some employee doesn’t like the company monitoring them then by your own computer, with your own internet feed and then you won’t be monitored, otherwise shut up.
Third, if this guy was giving away confidential information about Wal-Mart then he should be fired. The only exception to this rule should be if Wal-Mart was doing something illegal and it that case he should be talking to the cops not the press. So to call a company evil because they fired a guy for blabbing company secrets is outright moronic.
Forth, last I checked Wal-Mart wasn’t kidnapping people and forcing them to work at their stores. Employment at Wal-Mart is an at will state, for both the employee and employer. If the employee doesn’t like working for Wal-Mart then quit, there are plenty of minimal wage jobs you can get.
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Wal Mart
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STFU
There I feel better now!
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Re: STFU
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One thing that this article does not mention....
The other employees of technical department at Wal-Mart found out that this was happening and self-reported the problem.
If it would have been any news agency or other public group that found this out, could you imagine how much difference that this could be?
Yes, I will admit that we all make mistakes. It is just that some people / companies / etc. try to hide them and some others bring them out into the open and deal with them.
Which would you rather do?
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On the other hand you can return anything to them and get store credit. You could probably pick stuff up off the street and return it to them. I've seen people return shoes and clothes that were so obviously stuff their kids had outgrown that they were no longer wearable and get enough store credit to go to the tobacco aisle for a pack of Marlboros.
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And you think this is unusual?
It sounds to me like what wal-mart was doing wasn't all that unusual, they were just pissed that the ex-employee blabbed to the WSJ.
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Shills on this blog
I have been reading about this it guy for a while and I hope he gets vindication from the courts.
Walmart needs to pay dearly for thier transgressions against our society.
I will never shop at walmart, and no, Im not in any union.
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