Online surveillance bill being considered in Canada...
Online surveillance bill tabled in House
A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications, sometimes without a warrant, has been tabled in the House of Commons.
The proposed "protecting children from internet predators act" was introduced Tuesday by Stephen Harper's Conservative government
The bill contains previously introduced provisions that would
However, according to a tweet from University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, who has been closely following the issue, the list of telecommunications subscriber information that is to be made available without a warrant is smaller than in previous versions of the bill, which all died as a result of federal election calls. The list still includes a subscriber's name, address, telephone number, email address, IP address and local service provider identifier, Geist wrote on Twitter.
Public Safety Minister Toews is scheduled to hold a news conference in Ottawa at 12:45 p.m. ET with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais, likely to discuss the new bill
Charlie Angus, digital affairs critic for the NDP and MP for the Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay, said his party is "against this bill" and will "fight this bill all the way."
"What's very disturbing in this bill is it's going to force cellphone providers, the telecom providers, to build in the spy mechanisms so that police and security can track you any time they want," he said at a news conference following the bill's introduction.
He added that the government has not demonstrated any need for the proposed new powers, including the ability to get subscriber information without a warrant.
Angus slammed Public Safety Minister Vic Toews for comments he made Monday and previously suggesting that critics of the bill "stand with the child pornographers."
"Is Vic Toews saying every privacy commissioner in this country who has raised concerns about this government's attempt to erase the basic obligation to get a judicial warrant - is he saying they're for child pornography?"
The RCMP issued a statement Tuesday supporting the bill.
"While it is not the RCMP’s role to comment on pending legislation, the organization believes police need modern tools and resources to respond to the evolving nature of national and transnational crime, including terrorism," the statement said.
It added that the national police force welcomes amendments to the Criminal Code that provide "more effective tools to investigate criminal acts in the digital age," and such changes would bring Canada in line with similar laws in the U.K., U.S., Australia, Germany and Sweden.
In particular, it said, Canada is the the only country in the G8, aside from Japan, that does not require telecommunications providers to provide a back door for law enforcement to intercept digital communications.
Source is CBC
UGH. 1984 was not supposed to be an instruction manual.....
A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications, sometimes without a warrant, has been tabled in the House of Commons.
The proposed "protecting children from internet predators act" was introduced Tuesday by Stephen Harper's Conservative government
The bill contains previously introduced provisions that would
- Require telecommunications and internet providers to give subscriber data to police and national security agencies without a warrant, including names, unlisted phone numbers and IP addresses.
- Force internet providers and other makers of technology to provide a "back door" to make communications accessible to police
- Allow police to get warrants to obtain information transmitted over the internet and data related to its transmission, including locations of individuals and transactions.
- Allow courts to compel other parties to preserve electronic evidence
However, according to a tweet from University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, who has been closely following the issue, the list of telecommunications subscriber information that is to be made available without a warrant is smaller than in previous versions of the bill, which all died as a result of federal election calls. The list still includes a subscriber's name, address, telephone number, email address, IP address and local service provider identifier, Geist wrote on Twitter.
Public Safety Minister Toews is scheduled to hold a news conference in Ottawa at 12:45 p.m. ET with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais, likely to discuss the new bill
Charlie Angus, digital affairs critic for the NDP and MP for the Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay, said his party is "against this bill" and will "fight this bill all the way."
"What's very disturbing in this bill is it's going to force cellphone providers, the telecom providers, to build in the spy mechanisms so that police and security can track you any time they want," he said at a news conference following the bill's introduction.
He added that the government has not demonstrated any need for the proposed new powers, including the ability to get subscriber information without a warrant.
Angus slammed Public Safety Minister Vic Toews for comments he made Monday and previously suggesting that critics of the bill "stand with the child pornographers."
"Is Vic Toews saying every privacy commissioner in this country who has raised concerns about this government's attempt to erase the basic obligation to get a judicial warrant - is he saying they're for child pornography?"
The RCMP issued a statement Tuesday supporting the bill.
"While it is not the RCMP’s role to comment on pending legislation, the organization believes police need modern tools and resources to respond to the evolving nature of national and transnational crime, including terrorism," the statement said.
It added that the national police force welcomes amendments to the Criminal Code that provide "more effective tools to investigate criminal acts in the digital age," and such changes would bring Canada in line with similar laws in the U.K., U.S., Australia, Germany and Sweden.
In particular, it said, Canada is the the only country in the G8, aside from Japan, that does not require telecommunications providers to provide a back door for law enforcement to intercept digital communications.
Source is CBC
UGH. 1984 was not supposed to be an instruction manual.....