Policy Observatory

Canadian government continues to expand state powers

Thu 29 Jan 2015, 22:00

The Canadian government is scheduled to release new security legislation on Friday that would grant even more power to its police and domestic security agencies. This proposal comes in response to a string of "lone wolf" shootings of soldiers in Canada last October.

Tags: Canada, anti-terror legislation, security, surveillance, intelligence agencies, privacy

Canadian agency reported to be monitoring millions of downloads

Wed 28 Jan 2015, 19:40

A Canadian surveillance agency is tapping into Internet cables and analyzing up to 15 million downloads from popular file-sharing websites each day, in an effort to identify political extremists, according to a news report by The Intercept and CBC News.

The Canadian Communications Security Establishment [CSE] program allows the agency to monitor downloads in several countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, according to the news reports, published Wednesday morning. The reports are based on leaks from Edward Snowden, the former contractor at the U.S. National Security Agency.

Tags: intelligence agency, Internet traffic monitoring, Canada, report, surveillance

Canadian fights charges for not giving up phone password at airport

Tue 17 Mar 2015, 17:38

A Quebec man charged with obstructing border officials by refusing to give up his smartphone password says he will fight the charge.

Alain Philippon, 38, of Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., refused to divulge his cellphone password to Canada Border Services Agency during a customs search Monday night at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

Philippon had arrived in Halifax on a flight from Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. He's been charged under section 153.1 (b) of the Customs Act for hindering or preventing border officers from performing their role under the act. According to the CBSA, the minimum fine for the offence is $1,000, with a maximum fine of $25,000 and the possibility of a year in jail. Philippon did not want to be interviewed but said he intends to fight the charge since he considers the information on his phone to be "personal."

Tags: smartphone password, customs control, Canada, privacy, personal data

Canada: Bill C-51 will undermine Canada’s business climate

Wed 22 Apr 2015, 12:23

Bill C-51 would provide too much leeway for the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) to take unjustified actions against our businesses, including the takedown of websites.

Tags: Bill C-51, privacy, intelligence agencies, commerce, takedown, Communications Security Establishment (CSE), legislation, business, Canada, censorship, security

CETA signature ignores Agreement’s flaws

Sun 30 Oct 2016, 10:00

On 30 October 2016, Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) will be signed between Canada and the European Union. The text includes special rights for corporations, new obligations on so-called “intellectual property rights” and measures which create significant risks for citizens’ fundamental rights, most notably with regard to privacy and data protection.

Civil society has repeatedly raised concerns about the lack of democracy and transparency of the negotiation process, problems related to the protection of the personal data of European citizens, the investment court system (ICS) introduced in the agreement to allow corporations to challenge government decisions, and the inclusion of intellectual property rights (IPR) to the agreement without debate, including measures that resemble very closely the text of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) that was rejected by the European Parliament in 2012.

Tags: Canada, EU, IPR, fundamental rights, privacy, data protection, Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), trade agreement

Canada strengthens net neutrality rules as US prepares to gut them

Fri 21 Apr 2017, 21:00

Canada cracks down on zero-rating while FCC in US allows paid data cap exemptions. Canada is also taking a case-by-case approach to zero-rating instead of banning it outright. But yesterday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ordered changes to one carrier's zero-rating program and announced that it will enforce stricter guidelines for determining whether zero-rating programs are discriminatory.

Tags: net neutrality, zero rating, Canada