Other than the public forum, this is like the police or government sneaking into my house while I'm gone and reading my personal papers. No search warrant. If this was only with forums or public bulletins where any Joe, Bob or Fred could access read and post, I do not see anything wrong and would encourage it. But they are crossing the line when they read private emails, and IM's of people that goes into the realm of 1984.

There is nothing private on the internet. The internet is basically a public forum invented by Al Gore.

If you are worried about somebody reading your emails or Instant Messages you should be careful what you say because they can be read by others.