System administrators should consider <A HREF="http://searchcio.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid19_gci1152162,00.html?track=sy183">keeping minimum log records</A> and brushing up on privacy laws to better protect employees' right to free speech, according to an attorney with the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation. While IT shops can use computer logs to spot malicious activity on machines, they can also be used as part of a "very effective" surveillance tool against individuals and companies. Sysadmins should pare down their log files, which may run counter to a company's culture that frequently encourages saving each and every data file in the event an item, however obscure, is needed for business--and quickly. Keeping detailed logs is also considered an essential part of regulatory compliance. But such copious data stores also make the company more susceptible to secret intelligence and police sweeps.