"If you have a security policy then this new software enforces that security policy. It can't be overridden," he said.

"It offers military standard, mandatory access controls to ensure privacy is enforced in commercially available, enterprise-level computer systems."

He said the development of this prototype, which has been funded by an Australian Research Council grant, provides strict access control technology to prevent unauthorized viewing of sensitive data.

Professor Croll, in collaboration with the CSIRO, has also developed another security measure that protects privacy.

"It is a Web-based software tool that asks questions of the user and then makes sure that the user is aware of the relevant privacy regulations and rules before allowing access to information," he said. "It encourages privacy policy compliance and enforces access controls."