Williamson County attorney Jana Duty alleges that some commissioners purposefully and secretly re-instituted the use of spyware to monitor her employees' Internet usage about a week ago. Commissioners are denying the allegations.
The Williamson County Employees Association has filed an open records request to find out when the use and purchase of such software was authorized, and who authorized it.
County employees sometimes surf drug dealing, porn, and prostitution websites at work, in their roles as investigators for the Williamson County Attorney's office.
“Frankly the commissioners’ court, the IT department and the county judge have absolutely no business looking at it,” Duty says.
Duty says it is attorney-client privileged information. She says she was shocked to learn Monday about the county's recent $13,000 upgrade that allows IT personnel to see the websites county employees visit.
“I do know for a fact that they've been looking at information, because I talked with the IT director yesterday afternoon before I left my office to confirm that this was actually happening, and he did tell me 'yes,' that the system was live and employees are being monitored,” Duty says.
Duty alleges it is “a witch hunt,” because a number of her staff belong to the newly-formed Williamson County Employees Association, which has been critical of the Williamson County Commissioners' Court.
“This and this is an attempt to find out who is criticizing them, are they doing it on county time, on a county computer, I believe that is what this is all about,” Duty says.
County Judge Dan Gattis and some other members declined to comment on camera, citing Duty took her concerns to the media instead of to them.
Senior Director of IT Services Jay Schade says the county has had the hardware for six years, and the upgrade is to cover the county's increased internet use.
“We would be remiss if we did not make sure that county resources are being used for county productivity,” Schade said.
He says he just heard Duty’s concerns Monday evening, and has not yet had time to address them. Judge Gattis cut KVUE News’ interview with Schade short, calling it a witch hunt.
The county public information officer just issued a statement late Tuesday: “No member of the commissioner's court has asked the information technology department to review the county attorney's office Internet use,” Connie Watson said.
Still, Duty says she is sending a letter Wednesday, to commissioners and the county IT and Human Resources departments, demanding that any monitoring of her employees' Internet use at work stop immediately.
