Report: Nearly Half of Web Traffic in Workplace Is Non-Work-Related

Web security provider ScanSafe has released a report that says 49 percent of the corporate Internet traffic that the company scanned was non-productive, such as requests for gambling, music, and Webmail sites.

The company said that in February, there were to two big events that tend to drive unproductive Internet traffic in the workplace: Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl. The week prior to the Super Bowl, the company saw a 77 percent increase in U.S.-based requests for gambling and sports-related sites.

Overall, Web filtering blocks were up 8 percent from January to February. Specifically, the company reported that:

- 14 percent of blocks were for advertising and promotion

- 12 percent of blocks were to online chat and Instant Messaging (IM) sites

- 10 percent of blocks were for Webmail

- Music, gambling and pornographic sites each accounted for 4 percent of blocks

- Blocks to gambling sites were up 22 percent over January

 The company said it saw a jump in U.S.-based requests for gambling and sports-related sites throughout March during the annual NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championship tournament as users go online to watch live streaming game video, place a bet, or just IM with friends about the tournament as part of "March Madness."

The company's report is based on an analysis of more than 6 billion Web requests.