From the article: The only thing they did wrong was not more explicitly mention the monitoring. So it wasn't illegal to monitor communications, rather it was il

From the article: The only thing they did wrong was not more explicitly mention the monitoring. So it wasn't illegal to monitor communications, rather it was illegal to fire someone for using their work account for private communication without sufficiently warning them. All they have to do is make you sign some document on day 1 and they're covered. Also they were not awarded any damages or anything, so it's not like you'd get a payday after being fired. >Commenting on the ruling, Pam Cowburn, the communications director at in London, said: “The European court’s ruling is welcome. In some workplaces, it may be necessary for emails to be monitored, but if employers are going to do so, they should make staff explicitly aware of it.” >Despite finding that Bărbulescu’s rights under article 8 of the convention had been violated, the court declined to award him any compensation, saying the ruling was “sufficient just satisfaction”.