8 ms·

I don't know what to think about this. A password is supposed to be secret so I don't know what a naughty phrase in secret is a violation of? It is not very dif

• CydeWeys 7y ago
  The guy wasn't fired for the password, he was fired for the sexual harassment of a coworker. And nothing you do on a work computer is secret from your employer. It's not a "private diary" if you're using your employer's hardware.
  • mongol 7y ago
    If he was fired for sexual harassment, that is one thing. But a naughty password on its own? That was maybe not the case here but that is what I have doubts about.
    • swampthinker 7y ago
      And people wonder why tech has a massive issue with sexism...
      • mongol 7y ago
        What does it have to do with tech? Everyone has passwords, and they are used all the time.
    • sterkekoffie 7y ago
      What if it was violent, bigoted, or suicidal? Passwords are secret but they aren't necessarily private. If you wouldn't want to verbally verify it with your administrator you probably shouldn't use it.
      • mongol 7y ago
        I have seen many password policies that says that you never should disclose your password. I have never seen a password policy say that it must not be naughty. As for violent or suicidal, I am less sure. I guess I would reason like a doctor, who has a patient's privacy to consider, but when certain lines are crossed he can contact the police if he think there is risk of crime.
        • sterkekoffie 7y ago
          Then I think our only difference in opinion is whether making sexually aggressive statements about your coworkers is crossing a line or just "naughty."
          • mongol 7y ago
            The difference is maybe that I don't see a password as a statement. There is no intent to let anyone know it. The only purpose it serves is to be difficult to guess / crack and easy to remember.
          • AlexTWithBeard 7y ago
            It depends on whether the statement is public or private. Otherwise we're getting dangerously close to thoughtcrimes.
    • jedberg 7y ago
      He was fired for sexual harassment.
  • reedwolf 7y ago
    >he was fired for the sexual harassment of a coworker OP is vague on what this guy actually did. Note that they only went to the girl after cracking the password, and she said he was "creepy" towards her. "Creepy" in this context might just mean FWU (flirting while ugly).
    • CydeWeys 7y ago
      If he got fired for it, it was probably bad. And you shouldn't be flirting at work.
    • tbabb 7y ago
      I think it's very interesting how, despite knowing nearly nothing about the situation, everyone here is quick to doubt the victim, and make up scenarios (for which there is zero evidence) where the harasser is the victim.
      • bcatanzaro 7y ago
        For all its flaws, innocent until proven guilty is still the fairest justice system. Beyond a reasonable doubt is a high standard of proof. Because we use this standard, it is natural for people to look for reasonable doubts when talking about accusations. That is how western society works. And for very good reasons.
        • Falling3 7y ago
          > innocent until proven guilty is still the fairest justice system Justice system administered by a state where the repercussions include imprisonment and death - absolutely. But HR is not a judicial system and should not be viewed as one. I think I take your point to be just a descriptive observation of "our social discussion reflects a habit based on our exposure to judicial systems" and not a normative statement. Even if it's the former, I think it's naive and ignores a very real culture of doubt and victim-blaming exclusive to sexual violence.
          • kps 7y ago
  • astine 7y ago
    I think that it's the conjunction of the password and the harassment accusation together that make this a fairly straightforward case. If it were just a creepy password, well, that demonstrates a certain level of creepiness but doesn't mean that he made it a problem for anyone else. It's possible to have private fantasies that remain private. On the other hand, if it was just the coworker's accusation, it would be just that, an accusation without evidence. The password as evidence of private creepiness lends credence to the accusations of harassment, and the accusation of harassment demonstrates the the creepiness was probably not just private. Together they create a case stronger than either alone.
• 300bps 7y ago
  Not to mention "creepy" is a charge that is often impossible to defend yourself from. It's wholly dependent on the subjectivity of the accuser and their opinion of the accused. Walk over and say good morning every day to a coworker and she finds you attractive? Charming and sweet. Walk over and say good morning every day to a coworker and she finds you unattractive? Creepy.
  • the_gastropod 7y ago
    Ugh. Please don't bring this redpill malarkey to hackernews
  • malloreon 7y ago
    In this hypothetical example are you walking over and saying good morning to each of your male coworkers as well? The point is, treat your coworkers the same, regardless of gender.
    • anchpop 7y ago
      I haven't been in the workforce very long, so I really don't know and am asking genuinely. Is it ever okay to flirt with a coworker?
      • DharmaPolice 7y ago
        Yes, but the problem is that in most of the scenarios that get discussed it's not flirting but one person making advances and not noticing (or caring) that the person is actively feeling uncomfortable. The rule of thumb is sort of in line with telling a risque joke. Is that ever OK in a workplace? Sure, but if there's any doubt whatsoever how it will be received by the audience then you probably shouldn't be doing it.
  • panopticon 7y ago
    I was sorta with you at first, but that second paragraph is straight-up nonsense.
• jackcodes 7y ago
  <month><animal><current_year> every 90 days is the god pattern
  • dlivingston 7y ago
    If I crack one of your passwords (or search your email on haveibeenpwned), and assuming you haven't changed your animal, then cracking any other password you have is trivial and takes at most 12 permutations.
  • austincheney 7y ago
    A better pattern is something long that will exceed the bounds of a rainbow table. I love JavaScript but I really wish it didn't have the ASI feature* The example is 67 characters long written in a statement that is easy to remember with two non-alpha characters aside from the spaces. Imagine the size of rainbow table it would take to crack that.
    • OJFord 7y ago
      I'm not sure how easy that is to remember... Was it 'really love but wish' or 'love but really wish'? etc.
      • austincheney 7y ago
        I suspect you would word your password in a way that is most familiar for you. The idea is to achieve both cognitive comfort while destroying brute force efforts. A better example: Antidisestablishmentarianism is the longest English word I can think of## 73 characters.
        • saalweachter 7y ago
          I think you'd have more fun trying to imagine phrases no one would ever say. "But thankfully I took Kim Kardashian's advice, and everything worked out for the best."
    • 7y ago
• jedberg 7y ago
  He was doing a lot more than just the password. I was being vague on purpose. The password just exposed him.
• didibus 7y ago
  > It is not very different from writing something naughty in a private diary, or even thinking a naughty thing. I don't know if I'm too normal or what, but my gut feeling is that yes it's really creepy. And all these things have different creepiness to them. Thinking a naughty thing is the least creepy. A private naughty diary is starting to be creepy. If it's just a passage in a normal diary, it's not too bad, if there's a whole book just about this one girl it would get super creepy. Making your work password a naughty phrase about the girl working in front of you, definitely super creepy. Some of those I'd start to consider beginning signs of harassment honestly. The password one, it's like slowly trying to bring to the girls attention your thoughts. What's happening, are you hoping they see you typing it out one day? Everytime you type it do you stare at her and imagine whatever you typed? So ya, if there was all kinds of other similarly creepy small behaviors they'd add up to a pretty bad environment for that girl to be working in. Just my opinion. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I wouldn't do that, and so I find it very surprising and creepy that someone else does. Are they harmless, innocent, didn't know better, just have a cute crush, nice guys, maybe, but doing something unexpected to me, that I'd never think of doing, is pretty much the defining characteristic of creepy, and it naturally puts me on my guard. It's just strange behavior, and that's scary. Note: I'd like to hear some replies that are like... oh no, it's not creepy, way more people have naughty passwords or big naughty diaries of their coworkers than you think. I know I do. It's a totally normal behavior, you're the actual outlier here if you never did any of that. Otherwise I will continue to believe this is strange and creepy behavior which warrants suspicion, and possibly a good indicator that someone makes others feel uneasy and unsafe when around them.
  • kelnos 7y ago
    I think if it was really literally just the password, it would be pretty weak grounds to fire someone. But OP says he was being deliberately vague so as not to be specific about the situation, and there was a lot more going on. The guy got fired for his actions, not his password. The password was just a tipping point.
    • didibus 7y ago
      I'm not really talking about the firing, I had another comment elsewhere about that part. And I could excuse only the password, because one creepy behavior can be excused, a recurring number of them not so much. I still need to excuse the password though, because I think that's just creepy. If it was just normal behavior, it wouldn't need excusing, it just wouldn't even be an argument. I'm more saying that having your work password be a naughty fantasy involving your coworker is just plain creepy. I've never heard of this. I mean, even having a naughty fantasy involving your partner as your work password is creepy. How can anyone think this is totally normal and appropriate behavior? I know my wife would find it real weird if that was my password. If you do that, and are starting to feel like other people find you creepy or are suggesting you might be, and you're confused why they think that.. I just don't know what to say. If you were under the impression having such a password is common, I'm afraid you were mistaken. But, like I said, I'm giving people an opening here.. maybe I'm the one that's mistaken, and naughty sexual fantasies with coworkers as work passwords is a very common and normal choice of password. Presented with such evidence, I'd reconsider.
• CriticalCathed 7y ago
  It's basically thoughtcrime.
• deanCommie 7y ago
  A private diary that is the official property of your employer, and that they have the legal access to read at any time. The system being managed here is a professional one. Keep your professional passwords professional. It's no different than using your work email for naughty discussions.