[BUGS] Assumed Privacy of E-Mails?

[Trevor Roydhouse]

Piers Rowan wrote:
> http://www.privacy.gov.au/internet/email/
[...]
> However, in December 2000 the Federal Government introduced "light 
> touch" privacy legislation 
> <http://www.privacy.gov.au/business/index.html> to cover the private 
> sector which is based on the National Privacy Principles 
> <http://www.privacy.gov.au/publications/npps01.html> for the Fair 
> Handling of Personal Information. This legislation applies to staff 
> e-mails that contain personal information other than "employee records" 
> in certain circumstances. The private sector legislation also applies to 
> logs of staff web browsing activities.

Unfortunately the Federal Privacy Legislation does _not_ apply to most 
Australian businesses/employers because of the huge exception made for 
any "small business" whose annual turnover in the previous financial 
year was $3 million or less :)

See: Privacy Act, sec 6C, 6D.

The consolidated Privacy Act may be found at 
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/pa1988108/

-- 
Trevor Roydhouse
BJuris, LLB, LLM (UNSW)
System Developer
Australasian Legal Information Institute    Web  : www.austlii.edu.au