During the first quarter of 2010, US households received 481.3 million credit card offers, a 29% increase from the 372.4 million offers mailed during the same period a year ago, according to the latest study by Synovate Mail Monitor.

FORBES: Credit Card Mail Solicitations Increase 29%

Employers may find themselves competing with each other for the best workers with promises not to monitor their e-mail traffic or web-browsing habits, or by offering strict limits on the use of corporate surveillance cameras.

ECONOMIST: Through a glass darkly

Similar methods can be used to monitor our corporate e-mail and phone traffic.

FORBES: Why Facebook's Graph Search Really Does Matter: Big Data + NLP

Using court orders, the FBI controls the system from a remote location to monitor and retrieve e-mail messages of criminal suspects.

CNN: Justice Department mum about who will review 'Carnivore'

Another beauty of this system: Once you input your portfolio Cusips and are set up for e-mail alerts, you are able to monitor which of your issuers are good financial citizens and file on time.

FORBES: Finally, An Easy Way To Get Timely Municipal Bond Data

The UK's Information Commissioner has unveiled new rules that put limits on the freedom that companies have to monitor what their employees are doing with e-mail and net access.

BBC: Net software keeps tabs on staff

Johnson Controls' software can monitor buildings worldwide over the Internet, sending an e-mail to managers if there's a problem.

FORBES: Control Freaks

Satellite tracking will be used to monitor the movements of a serial sex attacker, according to the Scottish Mail on Sunday .

BBC: What the Scottish Sunday papers say

They also are cutting phone and e-mail links between analysts and bankers at the same company, and will hire minders to monitor communications.

FORBES: Criminalizing Capitalism