Comments on: Email monitoring won’t prevent terror attacks http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/16/email-monitoring-wont-prevent-terror-attacks/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:48:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Troy Rollo http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/16/email-monitoring-wont-prevent-terror-attacks/#comment-13347 Troy Rollo Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-13347 Not using specific words isn't the only thing terrorists would do. You could also expect them to start using encryption on their email. This is trivial to do (see http://www.gnupg.org/ to find out how and find helpful guides on doing it yourself). In fact I would be surprised at any terrorist who was sending their operational email in plain text - somebody talking about their top secret plans to undermine a government in clear text over email is too stupid to breathe and deserves to be caught. Employers should not be intercepting email on their networks (and it is illegal to do so in New South Wales now without giving notice under the Workplace Surveillance Act), but after some of the things in the PATRIOT Act in the United States, and given how much network traffic crosses the United States, it is unrealistic to expect that you can have any privacy in email if you are not encrypting it. Not using specific words isn’t the only thing terrorists would do. You could also expect them to start using encryption on their email. This is trivial to do (see http://www.gnupg.org/ to find out how and find helpful guides on doing it yourself). In fact I would be surprised at any terrorist who was sending their operational email in plain text - somebody talking about their top secret plans to undermine a government in clear text over email is too stupid to breathe and deserves to be caught.

Employers should not be intercepting email on their networks (and it is illegal to do so in New South Wales now without giving notice under the Workplace Surveillance Act), but after some of the things in the PATRIOT Act in the United States, and given how much network traffic crosses the United States, it is unrealistic to expect that you can have any privacy in email if you are not encrypting it.

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