34-48-202.  Permitted actions by an employer.

(1)  This chapter does not prohibit an employer from doing any of the following:

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Terms Used In Utah Code 34-48-202

  • Employer: means a person, including the state or a political subdivision of the state, that has one or more workers or operators employed in the same business, or in or about the same establishment, under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written. See Utah Code 34-48-102
  • Law enforcement agency: is a s defined in Section 53-1-102. See Utah Code 34-48-102
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(a)  requesting or requiring an employee to disclose a username or password required only to gain access to the following:

(i)  an electronic communications device supplied by or paid for in whole or in part by the employer; or

(ii)  an account or service provided by the employer, obtained by virtue of the employee’s employment relationship with the employer, and used for the employer’s business purposes;

(b)  disciplining or discharging an employee for transferring the employer’s proprietary or confidential information or financial data to an employee’s personal Internet account without the employer’s authorization;

(c)  conducting an investigation or requiring an employee to cooperate in an investigation in any of the following:

(i)  if there is specific information about activity on the employee’s personal Internet account, for the purpose of ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, or prohibitions against work-related employee misconduct; or

(ii)  if the employer has specific information about an unauthorized transfer of the employer’s proprietary information, confidential information, or financial data to an employee’s personal Internet account;

(d)  restricting or prohibiting an employee’s access to certain websites while using an electronic communications device supplied by, or paid for in whole or in part by, the employer or while using an employer’s network or resources, in accordance with state and federal law; or

(e)  monitoring, reviewing, accessing, or blocking electronic data stored on an electronic communications device supplied by, or paid for in whole or in part by, the employer, or stored on an employer’s network, in accordance with state and federal law.

(2)  Conducting an investigation or requiring an employee to cooperate in an investigation as specified in Subsection (1)(c) includes requiring the employee to share the content that has been reported in order to make a factual determination.

(3)  This chapter does not prohibit or restrict an employer from complying with a duty to screen employees or applicants before hiring or to monitor or retain employee communications that is established under federal law, by a self-regulatory organization under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78c(a)(26), or in the course of a law enforcement employment application or law enforcement officer conduct investigation performed by a law enforcement agency.

(4)  This chapter does not prohibit or restrict an employer from viewing, accessing, or using information about an employee or applicant that can be obtained without the information described in Subsection 34-48-201(1) or that is available in the public domain.

Amended by Chapter 258, 2015 General Session