Gabboim-
I agree with you, even more so if the computer you are using to go online belongs to the company.
Some one asked the Chief Technology Officer at an all employee meeting if we can surf the web while we are supposed to be working. He gave permission on a few conditions:
1. We get all our work done at the end of the day regardless,
2. We don’t use the Internet for anything “unprofessional” (use your imagination- the IP address can be traced to the company)
3. It does not impact anyone else’s ability to work (downloading movies during business hours can use up a good portion of the bandwidth).
(It is explicitly stated in the company policy that since we are a financial institution- everything that takes place on any computer that is logged into under our user-name and password is permanently recorded and is our responsibility.)
hereorthere- In my opinion you should be entitled to a coffee break here and there and you should feel free to do what ever you want with your personal property (iPad…) during that time, but that all changes if the boss specifically says otherwise.