Is Your Slack Being Watched? Here's How To Tell

Slack is a messaging platform that has become increasingly popular, with over 12 million daily active users as of last year. It is a great platform for employees to bond and connect, but how private are Slack messages? Can your employer read your messages? The answer is—it depends. If your boss is an admin with elevated rights, they can access your messages, but it's not in real-time. Admins can export and compile data, but it's a tedious process. Employers on the free or standard plan need to request access from Slack and provide a valid reason. Paid plans offer more flexibility for employers to access and export data. Ultimately, it's important to remember that Slack gives employers significant surveillance powers, and users should be cautious about the content of their messages.

Admins can access and export Slack data

The exported data is delivered in ZIP files, specifically in JSON format, which is a simple way to store and transmit structured data. The JSON file includes message text, information about reactions, and even edit history, including deleted messages. It's important to note that the data is not presented in the same way as it appears on the Slack platform. Instead, it is displayed in long lines that resemble code.

While admins can access and export data, Slack does provide some oversight to prevent abuse. Additionally, the level of access and the process for exporting data vary depending on the pricing tier of the Slack plan. Admins on the Free and Pro plans have more limited access and must go through a more rigorous approval process to export certain types of data. However, as the pricing tier increases, the process becomes more streamlined, and admins gain deeper access to data.

It's worth noting that Slack's privacy policies are designed to meet the needs of its customers, which are employers, rather than employees. While Slack does provide some protections, employees should be aware that their messages and data may not be as private as they think.

Admins can see your activity status

Admins can also see your messages. If an admin has elevated user status, they can conduct an export of data, which results in a compiled exported file that they can then sort through to find the exact messages they want to read. This is not a live viewing portal, and it is a more lengthy process than simply viewing messages in real-time. Admins with elevated user status can also access recorded Zoom calls and saved chat logs.

If your company uses Slack's free or standard plan, admins will need to ask Slack for access to your private chats. Slack will only approve this in three cases: if employees have given their consent, if it is required for legal reasons, or if there is a right or requirement to do so under applicable laws.

If your company is using a paid version of Slack, admins will have to submit a request to export the conversation. However, once they submit the request, they can repeat the export process as many times as they like without additional approval. This feature is called Corporate Export and is available on the Plus and Enterprise Gold plans.

If you are concerned about your privacy on Slack, you can manually turn off your active status and refrain from using the platform.

Your boss can access your Slack messages

Firstly, if you become part of a lawsuit, and the contents of your Slack conversations are relevant to the case, your boss can access your messages. In this instance, your company will need to submit a request to Slack to export your messages from private channels. Slack will only approve this request if they have your consent, if it's required for legal reasons, or if it's within the employer's rights.

Secondly, if your boss launches an internal investigation, they can also access your Slack messages. In this case, they may not need to submit a request to Slack, depending on the type of plan your company has. If your company uses Slack's free or standard plan, they will need to request access from Slack. However, if your company is using a paid version, they can submit a request to export conversations and then repeat the export process without additional approval.

Additionally, it's important to note that even if your boss doesn't have administrator rights, they can still read your messages if they have access to your computer while your Slack account is logged in.

While it may be tempting to use Slack for office gossip or complaining about your boss, it's important to remember that your messages may not be as private as you think. As the old adage goes, "don't write anything in an email that you wouldn't want to see on the front page of the newspaper." The same principle applies to Slack messages.

Your boss can access your deleted messages

It is important to note that deleted messages on Slack are not readily visible to standard users. However, there are certain methods and exceptions that allow access to deleted messages.

Workspace owners or administrators may have access to deleted messages through advanced data retrieval methods. Slack's compliance export features allow for the retrieval of deleted messages for legal or investigative purposes. These exceptions are primarily applicable in specific scenarios and may require proper authorization for access, thus ensuring the privacy and security of user communications.

On the free version of Slack, users have the option to choose whether messages are deleted after 90 days or kept for a year. On paid plans, the default message retention setting is to keep messages for as long as the paid workspace exists. However, workspace owners can customize their retention policies and choose to set a custom time frame for retaining messages.

It is worth noting that even if a message is deleted, it may still be accessible within Slack for a limited time as the platform may retain data beyond the individual user's deletion actions. Therefore, it is crucial to be cautious about the content of your messages, as they may be accessed by your boss or other parties through various methods.

Additionally, certain third-party applications or integrations may offer tools to access and retrieve deleted messages on Slack, providing potential avenues for recovering lost messages. However, it is essential to carefully consider the security and privacy implications of integrating third-party apps with Slack, as they may require access to sensitive data within the workspace.

Your boss can access your DMs

Whether or not your boss can access your Slack direct messages (DMs) depends on a few factors. Firstly, it depends on whether your boss has administrator rights. If they are a standard user, they won't be able to read your DMs. However, if they are an elevated user with administrator rights, they can access your DMs, but it's not a simple process. Admins can export and download messages, but they will appear in ZIP files (JSON-type files) with long lines of code rather than how you see them in the app.

Admins can only access DMs by conducting an export of data, which results in a compiled file that they then need to sort through to find the messages they want to read. This is not a live viewing portal and is a lengthy process, so it's unlikely that your boss will go through these steps unless it's absolutely necessary.

If your company uses Slack's Standard or Free plan, your boss will need to submit a request to export messages from private channels. Slack will only approve this in three cases: with employee consent, if it's required for legal reasons, or if it's within the employer's rights. If your company uses a paid version of Slack, they can repeat the export process without additional approval, but they still need to submit an initial request.

It's important to remember that even if your boss doesn't have access to your DMs, they can still see the messages you send in public and private channels, as well as the messages you send to another Slack organization via the Connections view option. Therefore, it's always best to avoid saying anything in your work account that you wouldn't want your boss to see.

Frequently asked questions