A lot of people tend to see only the bad side of keylogging software. In the past, keylogging software (also known as keylogger or keystroke logger) was seen as completely malicious because of its ability to steal bank passwords and other sensitive information. In the present, employees have been complaining about the loss of privacy due to employee monitoring and surveillance systems being set-up. Because of all the flak keylogging software have been getting, let’s level the playing field by listing the pros, as well as the cons of having keylogger software installed and see whether the cons truly outweigh the pros.
The Good
- In the office, having a keylogger installed allows you to check on your employees and see how much time they actually spend working and how much time they spend doing stuff that’s not office-related. This’ll prevent employees from getting paid just to browse Facebook.
- At home, having keylogging software installed allows you to monitor your children’s activities and guide them accordingly. You can see whether or not they’ve really been working on that school project or they’ve simply been playing games or chatting with their friends. You can also protect your children from kidnappers or pedophiles since you can easily check whoever your children have been talking to online.
- Having keylogging software installed to spy on other peoples’ activity is usually an eye-opening experience, but surprisingly, some people have actually discovered that using the software on themselves allows them to stay productive. Since the first step to being productive is knowing how long it takes you to finish a task, installing the keylogging software will accurately record the times when you’re actually working and the times when you were just trying to convince yourself that you’re working.
The Bad
- In the office, state law would probably require you to inform your employees about the installation of keylogging software on the computers they’re using. The decision to install keylogging software is almost always negatively received by employees and may cause them to be resentful with their employers. Sneaky employees may also find ways to bypass keylogging software using anti-keyloggers or onscreen keyboards.
- At home, technologically adept children may have no problem bypassing the keyloggers, either by using a touchscreen gadget or simply disabling the software through some sly hack.
The fulcrum of the good and the bad of keylogger software seem to be freedom, and the skewed perception that surveillance means loss of freedom. Surveillance through the use of keylogging software isn’t a form of imprisonment, but simply a form of communication like a constant webcam chat between the user and the employer/parent/etc. If the people being monitored aren’t deviating from their tasks, then they should have nothing to worry about.
Keylogger software is a neutral entity; it can be used for bad, as what malicious hackers do; it can also be used for good, as what employers, parents, and other concerned people do. If you’re worried about your company’s efficiency being bottlenecked by a slacker employee, or your child’s safety being threatened by some psycho online, feel free to install good keylogging software.