Bosses to snoop on emails

Deputy PM Julia Gillard. Pic by: Kym Smith

Bosses could be given the power to snoop on employees' emails and monitor their internet messaging under a new plan to avert a terrorist attack in Australia.

Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland has said the new measures, which could be in place as early as next year, would allow companies to intercept staff emails without the consent of workers.

He has told Fairfax that the powers are necessary to foil attacks aimed at crippling the country's financial, electricity and transport systems that would be more damaging than terrorist bombings.

But the proposal has drawn scathing criticism from civil liberties groups, which have said it would allow bosses to go snooping for dirt on workers whom they want to sack.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has told the Nine Network that there is nothing to fear.  "I promise we are not interested in the email you send out about who did what at the Christmas party.

"What this is about is looking at our critical infrastructure."

Mr McClelland has said he is aware of the potential invasions of privacy that the proposal could allow, but insisted that it was necessary.  He has said a hack attack in Estonia using "botnet" viruses shut down that country's government for two weeks. He has said an attack aimed at disabling Australia's major computer networks would "reap far greater economic damage" than a physical terrorist attack.

Currently, the Telecommunications (Interception) Act only allows security agencies to monitor their employees' internet communication without their consent.  Those powers expire in June 2008.

"At least 90 per cent of networks exist outside government but there's no powers for corporate network supervisors to intercept such communications unless they have specific authority from the employee," Mr McClelland said.

"There needs to be protocols and guidelines developed so companies can protect their own networks.

"There's no question that breaches of both government and private sector computer networks have occurred already."

Critics have said new powers would be abused by employers, who would embark on "witch hunts" to find a reason to sack staff.

"These new powers will facilitate fishing expeditions into employees' emails and computer use rather than being used to protect critical infrastructure," said Dale Clapperton from Electronic Frontiers Australia.

"I'm talking about corporate eavesdropping and witch-hunts ... If an employer wanted to bone someone, they could use these powers."

Mr McClelland has said privacy and civil liberties groups and unions would be consulted as the new laws were being drafted.

News.com.au
April 14, 2008