Keystroke logging is a form of surveillance program that keeps track of each individual input entered from a computer"s input device, such as keyboards and mice, and uploads the information to the person who had installed the program. It is mostly used as spyware to obtain PII (Personally Identifiable Information), login credentials, and other sensitive data from online users. This sort of program does not require physical access to the hardware in order to install it; on the contrary, it can be installed as malware bundled within freeware (or other softwares) and executed automatically via a rootkit or Trojan program [4]. In legal situations, keystroke loggers are commonly used in workplace environments purposely to record an employee"s actions, ensuring that their employers can be notified in case if they leak any valuable information out or exhibit other illegal online behaviour [5].
However, as with the use of software with similar applications, there are a variety of legal and ethical issues that come into question. To start with legal problems, the legality of keystroke loggers vary depending on the country or area; however, a majority of regions permit the installation of this software within company computers, as these devices are considered to be the firm"s own property [5]. Nevertheless, this prospect does not change the legality of the data collected. Enterprises using these programs are prohibited from utilizing passwords and other personal information that they obtain to access online accounts not owned by the company [5]. Furthermore, employers are required to notify their employees of the keystroke logger's existence, depending on the country they work in.
Finally, ethical issues from these programs generally revolve around the potential mishandling of data by employers [5]. Such a dreadful situation would violate the "œunspoken trust" between both parties (the employer and the employee); therefore, sensitive information should only be utilized for the company's good by preventing company leaks and scandals, but for nothing else. In fact, one measure that employers can take to avoid violating this dilemma is to set their logging software to only monitor certain actions or keywords related to important information, rather than recording everything an employee is doing.
