Numerous readers noted the proposal by the Australian executive for lawmaking to allow employers to snoop on employees' email and IM conversations. This is being proposal in the name of protecting the support from terrorism. The attorney-general cited the Estonian cyber-attacks as a reason why such employer monitoring is necessary in Australia — never mind that the attacks were perpetrated by a lone 20-year-old and not by a foreign friary or terrorist. The law permitting intelligence agencies to snoop on amateur band without acquiescence expires this June, leading to the government's urgency to extend and expand it. The presider of web banking Frontiers Australia said, "These new powers will facilitate fishing expeditions into employees' emails and mini* use rather than being used to protect critical infrastructure. I'm talking about shared eavesdropping and witch-hunts... If an employer wanted to [sack] someone, they could use these powers."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

More: - From the site

Mark