"Australia considers email snoop powers for bosses: minister". SYDNEY (AFP) — Bosses will be able to spy on workers' emails without consent under new anti-terror laws being considered in Australia, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday.

For fuck's sake, Julia - this is a tired argument and not one that justifies further erosion of privacy and freedoms.

1. Untrained network and systems administrators do not guard against terrorism: authorities do.

2. Authorities who need access to data for a national security investigation are going to get it, regardless of employee consent.

3. Many workplaces make surveillance a condition of employment. There's little benefit in changing legislation just to make it easier for companies that have not yet informed staff of the intention to monitor usage.

4. The EFA is right: the powers will be used to serve the corporate agenda more than they will be used to protect national security. Are any safeguards going to be introduced with these changes?

Security plans for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Sydney in September include blocking access to some areas and encouraging people to stay out of the city by way of declaring a public holiday. Major, yet reasonable measures.

Another plan is to use helicopters with mobile phone jamming signals to counter the unlikely and impractical threat of bad guys using mobile phones to detonate bombs. Not a reasonable measure.