Following an August 2022 study by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics on the topic of Device Investigation Tools Used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) — aka spyware — further study was to be undertaken by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) NSICOP’s report, once tabled, … [Read more...] about NSICOP Spyware Study
Democracy
New legislated threat to privacy
India joins Canada and the UK in introducing new legislation that threatens end-to-end encryption. The new provisions authorize the government to direct the interception and disclosure of any messages or communications — including those on fixed and mobile services, internet and broadband services, satellite-based communication services, in-flight and marine communications. as … [Read more...] about New legislated threat to privacy
Canada’s Digital Ambition 2022
The Government of Canada’s Digital Ambition provides a clear, long-term strategic vision for the Government of Canada to advance digital service delivery, cyber security, talent recruitment, and privacy. The GC’s Digital Ambition is built with four themes: In its Digital Ambition 2022, the Government describes steps it has taken, and will take, to make it … [Read more...] about Canada’s Digital Ambition 2022
Government Plans Publicity Blitz to Undermine Privacy of Your Chats
Successive Home Secretaries of different political parties have taken strong anti-encryption stances, claiming encryption — which is essential for online privacy and security — will diminish the effectiveness of UK bulk surveillance capabilities, make fighting organized crime more difficult, and hamper efforts to stop terror attacks. The latest tactic — a carefully crafted PR … [Read more...] about Government Plans Publicity Blitz to Undermine Privacy of Your Chats
Special Report: OIPC BC
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia has released a special report on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Information” to give the public a sense of how the access system generally performed under the pressures of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report focuses on public bodies whose operations were uniquely impacted by COVID-19. Read the … [Read more...] about Special Report: OIPC BC
How ‘online harms’ legislation undermines privacy
Consistent with legislative initiatives in Australia, the UK, Netherlands, and other countries, the Government of Canada has been working mightily to enact privacy-invasive encryption-busting legislation it says is necessary to protect against legal but "hurtful" online content. Despite sweeping criticism of Bill C-10 and its companion bill to address harmful content online, … [Read more...] about How ‘online harms’ legislation undermines privacy
