I wonder what one has to do to engage in a private discussion over the internet [ with some legal recourse to that privacy being protected ]

As you suggest, we rely on 'good taste' from both our employers and our governments.

Is there some way to define good taste, which can be applied in court.. do I have some legal recourse if my government acts in bad taste ?

It seems that the legal system has evolved over the years to be our best attempt to scale and codify the idea of 'good taste'.