Canadians Debate Online Snooping Laws

OTTAWA — Canada is considering legislation that many critics in that country fear would strike a devastating blow to their online privacy by giving governmental agencies unprecedented power to intercept and act on private communications.

“There are dark clouds on the horizon,” wrote Toronto Star columnist Michael Geist in an article titled, “Say no to Big Brother plan for Internet.”

“[The government seeks] an Internet with ubiquitous surveillance featuring real-time capabilities to monitor online activity,” Geist continued. “It is an internet that would seek to cut off subscriber access based on mere allegations of wrongdoing, without due process or oversight from a judge or jury.”

Commonly referred to as the “lawful access” initiative, the proposal has been the subject of rabid debate since 2002, when the government began soliciting comments from interested parties on Canada’s existing rules regarding the lawful interception of private communications.

Critics like Geist have tried to stir public sentiment against any such legislation by comparing it to the U.S. Patriot Act.

At a February meeting with representatives from the telecommunications industry, Canada’s departments of Industry, Justice and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness laid out the specifics of the legislation, which would require phone and Internet service providers to refit their networks to allow for real-time interception of communications by law enforcement and national security agencies — without prior notice and without court order.

“Legislation governing lawful access was originally designed for rotary telephones, not email or the Internet,” said Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay during the presentation. “Dated laws allow criminals and terrorists to use technology to hide their illicit activities. This initiative is about keeping our laws current so that the police can do their job and keep Canadians safe.”

MacAuley said that updating access laws is essential to help investigative agencies fight crimes such as terrorism, child pornography, drug trafficking, smuggling, Internet and telemarketing fraud, price fixing and money laundering.

But Privacy Commissioner George Radowski issued an open letter criticizing the proposal for giving the government sweeping and excessive power to snoop on private individuals.

“The interception and monitoring of private communications is a highly intrusive activity that strikes at the heart of the right to privacy,” Radowski wrote. “If Canadians can no longer feel secure that their web surfing and their electronic communications are, in fact, private, this will mark a grave, needless and unjustifiable deterioration of privacy rights in our country.”

What’s more, Radowski said, the government has not demonstrated that there is a serious problem with the country’s existing online surveillance policy.

Columnist Geist also pointed out that the required retrofitting of networks would cost service providers hundreds of millions of dollars, adding: “While some changes may be needed for security purposes, the government has yet to make the case for why the current set of powers, which include cybercrime and wiretapping provisions, are insufficient. [And] there has been no evidence provided that this approach is the least privacy-invasive alternative.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More