Not in Oz apparently…
Is this a good thing? Can we look for a law along these lines here?
If you can’t convince them, confuse them.
Harry S. Truman
Like everything else in your life (phone calls, files, photographs), information on your computer is as private as you make it. And to make it private requires educating yourself to security issues and implementing rigorous protection measures where you feel it is appropriate. The government has reserved for itself the right to override your privacy concerns in a number of situations by obtaining a properly executed warrant from a court with presiding authority. More and more, the government is also asserting the right to override your privacy without a warrant in a variety of circumstances.
This is not meany in any way to be a paranoid rant. In fact, the vast majority of information in your life is of absolutely no interest to the government (or much of anyone else). But to think that a file on your computer is more secure than a document in your file cabinet is foolish – especially if the computer is networked and supports multiple users.
If privacy is a concern for you, educate yourself. And keep your knowledge current. Data encryption methods and privacy issues (especially on intel chips) change rapidly, and yersterday’s solutions may be worthless in today’s world. Sorry, no shortcuts.
The best lack all conviction
The worst are full of passionate intensity.
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Who would be so naive as to expect the government to respect the privacy of your computer? That’s an 18th century attitude, and the attitude of a very rich 18th century aristocrat at that.
If you want privacy, encrypt stuff. Or keep it inside the only unbreakable lockbox you have: the inside of your head.