Many employers throughout New Orleans require their workers to sign online acceptable use policies when they are hired. An acceptable use policy that addresses online conduct may discuss what a person can and cannot do with work-related access to the internet. For example, it may stipulate that a worker can use the internet to perform job-related tasks and research, but that it may not be used to access or engage in any illegal activity.
When using the internet at home, individuals are generally subject only to their own personal ethics and the laws of the land when it comes to what they should and should not do online. They may feel that unlike when they are using the technology of their employer their private access to the internet is less regulated. This may be true, but they may still be subject to significant sanctions if their behaviors are perceived as internet crimes.
In particular, sex crimes that are perpetrated over the internet are very serious and can result in individuals not only losing their jobs, but also their freedoms if they are convicted and potentially incarcerated as punishment. Internet-based sex crimes cover a broad range of legal issues, ranging from online sexual harassment and solicitation to child pornography. Whether a person is accused of engaging in these illegal activities at home or at work, a New Orleans resident will likely face serious consequences as a result of the allegations.
The internet makes it easy for an individual to stumble into the wrong place and be accused of committing internet sex crimes. Work codes of conduct and personal ethics can drive a person toward or away from certain online behaviors, but ultimately state and federal laws will dictate if and how a person is charged with sex crimes. At our law firm, we attempt to help our clients who are facing these types of allegations.