16/07/2026
In one of my previous corporate jobs, all company-issued laptops and PCs were routinely scanned and updated every six months—mostly to remove malware, suspicious software, and anything that shouldn’t be there. 😉
I still remember watching our IT guy troubleshoot a computer. He simply typed *.mp4 into the search bar, and suddenly every video file on the drive appeared.
Delete. Delete. Delete.
No questions asked. No permission requested. 😭
I learned that lesson the hard way after all my "cat videos" disappeared. 😉😉
The same trick works for other file types too. Type *.doc to show all Word documents, *.pdf for PDFs, *.jpg for images, and so on. It’s a quick way for IT to locate files during maintenance or security checks.
From an HR and compliance perspective, many employees ask whether this is even legal.
Generally, yes—provided the company has clearly communicated that company-issued devices are subject to routine inspections, monitoring, or audits. Company-owned equipment exists primarily for business purposes, and employers have a legitimate interest in protecting their systems, confidential information, and network security.
That said, any personal information accidentally discovered during these inspections should still be handled responsibly and in accordance with applicable privacy laws and company policies. The purpose of the inspection is to secure company assets—not to pry into employees’ personal lives.
The simplest rule? Treat your company laptop the same way you’d treat any other company property. Use it primarily for work, assume that routine maintenance and security checks can happen at any time, and save your vacation photos (and "cat videos" 😉) on your personal device instead.
WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?
The National Privacy Commission shared guidelines based on the Data Privacy Act of 2012, showing when employers are allowed to check activity on work computers, and when they're not. Here's what the law says.
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