I know everyone is going to shoot this idea down with a million reasons why, but even so:<p>why are these laws never symmetric?<p>Why can&#x27;t employees also access things possessed and used by the employer, like, say, HR personnel files, or executive emails, so that employees can verify the company is not committing fraud, engaging in discriminatory practices, etc.?<p>There&#x27;s such an emphasis on what the company has a right to do to protect itself that we almost don&#x27;t even think about how company actions, which could be damaging to and unapproved by the employee, go on unchecked all the time.<p>I assume the answer is just &quot;might makes right&quot; and the employer is the one with capital available for legal and political manipulation. But what&#x27;s so surprising to me is that <i>we rarely even talk about it</i> even in an era with so much overt and publicly hated corporate corruption.