Members TampaYankee Posted February 16, 2012 Members Posted February 16, 2012 Canada boosts police powers, alarms privacy watchdog By Louise Egan | Reuters OTTAWA (Reuters) - A new law gives police stronger powers to track what Canadians do online, but raises concern from the privacy watchdog about "warrantless access to personal information." The Conservative government says the draft law it unveiled on Tuesday aims at hunting down pedophiles or other criminals by giving police, the country's spy agency and the Competition Bureau increased access to customer data from Internet service providers. Law enforcers will no longer need a warrant to ask internet providers to hand over "identifying information" such as names, addresses, email addresses, unlisted phone numbers and IP addresses. Ottawa says it is simply modernizing its crime-fighting tools and notes that that similar laws are already in place in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. But Chantal Bernier, the assistant privacy commissioner of Canada, said the bill raised serious concerns. "There is an outstanding issue that to us remains of concern and that is that it still allows warrantless access to personal information ... and it's not framed either in terms of suspicions of criminal activity or in the context of a criminal investigation," Bernier told Reuters. "It's wide open and so it could impact on any law-abiding Canadian," she said. The government named the bill "protecting children from internet predators act", framing it as a new tool to end frustrating delays police face when they seek to track suspects' online activities. The opposition New Democrats and other critics say a warrant should be required, otherwise authorities can abuse their new powers and snoop on anyone without any oversight or justification. The opposition is vigorously fighting the bill, but the Conservatives have a majority in the House of Commons, so are likely to get the bill passed in one form or another. Public Safety Minister responded to critics in Parliament on Tuesday by saying that people "can either stand with us or with the child pornographers." Toews said criminals have adapted more quickly than police to rapidly changing technologies, and he cited a case of child abduction last year where it took police 13 days to obtain the electronic data that eventually allowed them to nab their suspect because the service provider would not provide customer data without a court order. In a 2010 child pornography investigation, it took 15 days, he said. "It is clear we need a better system," Toews said. In a nod to concerns from the privacy commissioner last year, the government included a requirement for audits conducted on the exercise of the new powers and reduced the list of personal data that police can access without warrant. Police will still need a warrant to actually read the online communications of suspects. "The new investigative powers are tailored to ensure a minimum of intrusion on the privacy of Canadians," said Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. Bernier is not convinced, and the privacy commissioner's office left the door open to a constitutional challenge of the law, pending further study. "That is precisely the analysis that we are embarking on now, whether this does indeed conform to the fundamental right to privacy (enshrined in the constitution) so I can see others taking this on in the same manner," she said. (Reporting By Louise Egan) See original article at: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-boosts-police-powers-alarms-privacy-watchdog-223111805.html Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 Well a lot of activies are taking place on line and I think it's essential that it is protected and it doesn't become a place where illegal activies are carried out. As we are searched at airports without a warrant to protect us from harm, I think what they are doing in Canada will become more natural to us in the future. Quote
Members MsGuy Posted February 16, 2012 Members Posted February 16, 2012 Hito, our ancestors bound Leviathan with all the locks and chains they could dream up. And for the last 150 years, their descendants have loosing the chains and opening the locks, one small bit at a time and always for what seemed good reasons at the time. The whispered promise of Leviathan is always what he could do for us, if only he had a tiny bit more room to move . He never speaks of what he will do to us when he gets enough slack . Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 But people forget that there is something more powerful than Leviathan among us. It can be bound again if it misbehaves since more people have that power. The problem is not Leviathan but people misusing the very power that can bound Leviathan. Now how we going to balance these two extremely powers? Leviathan and those who can harm leviathan and innocent people. Someone has to make a balanced call. It's a process we have to go through. Quote
Members MsGuy Posted February 16, 2012 Members Posted February 16, 2012 Hito, somehow those balancing decisions are usually resolved in faver of loosening. That voice whispering in our ear can be oh so seductive. Folks always say to themselves, 'well, but it's only for now and we can always reverse it if things don't work out.' But then we move on to other things and the temporary expediency becomes customary and permanant. It's not that any one thing is so terribly bad; if it were, we probably wouldn't do it. It's the accumulation over time of many small decisions that will set free the beast. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 As you always have shown grace to me in good faith I think we need to trust these policy makers will do the right thing and balance things out. After all they are elected by us. Whatever surveillance system they run, I believe it is set up for common good. Yes we shouldn't be like China or Russia but I believe the US should weigh balanced options and set good examples in this new area of cyber space surveillance. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 25, 2012 Posted February 25, 2012 I like this quote "Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free." I can see your point MsGuy .... Quote
