NSW to outlaw 'cybersnooping' in workplace

By Stuart Finlayson

The practice of unauthorised surveillance of employees, known as 'cybersnooping', is to be outlawed in New South Wales.

The move, which was announced by Attorney-General Bob Debus, a long time advocate of the introduction of such legislation, will make it a criminal offence for an organisation to mount any sort of covert surveillance on an employee, whether it be by video camera, email monitoring or any other means, unless the employer concerned can demonstrate reasonable suspicion that the employee was guilty of wrongdoing.

"The law to date has not provided any guidance when legitimate employer concern crosses the line into unauthorised cybersnooping," said Mr Debus in his parliamentary address.

"While some employers argue that this is necessary to protect their legitimate interests, employees expect that their private correspondence, like their private telephone calls or private conversations, should never be the subject of secret monitoring."

The Exposure Bill is set to be released next month.

A recent study highlighted the extent of the problem, indicating that paranoia is widespread among Australian employers, with around 80 percent of them found to be using equipment designed to keep tabs on their staff's phone calls, emails and Internet usage.

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