Canada Has Huge New Evidence-Free Electronic Spying Bill. Canucks!

Canada’s got itself some enormo-legislation that is paving the way for evidence-free spying. Oh Canada! You couldn’t just have your maple syrup, hockey, and insane taxes. No, no. You had to push it.

Boing Boing:

Michael Geist sez, “The Canadian government will introduce new Internet surveillance legislation that will mandate a massive new surveillance infrastructure at all Canadian ISPs and remove the need for court oversight of the disclosure of customer information. I’ve posted a detailed FAQ on the history of the bill, the likely contents, the lack of government evidence supporting the need for the invasive legislation, and what Canadians can do about it.”

The first prong mandates the disclosure of Internet provider customer information without court oversight. Under current privacy laws, providers may voluntarily disclose customer information but are not required to do so. The new system would require the disclosure of customer name, address, phone number, email address, Internet protocol address, and a series of device identification numbers.

While some of that information may seem relatively harmless, the ability to link it with other data will often open the door to a detailed profile about an identifiable person. Given its potential sensitivity, the decision to require disclosure without any oversight should raise concerns within the Canadian privacy community.

The second prong requires Internet providers to dramatically re-work their networks to allow for real-time surveillance. The bill sets out detailed capability requirements that will eventually apply to all Canadian Internet providers. These include the power to intercept communications, to isolate the communications to a particular individual, and to engage in multiple simultaneous interceptions.

It’s infiltrated our Northern Comrades, and I assume the Big Brother surveillance tech will be here soon! Oh, who the fuck am I kidding. Gun to my head I’m admitting they’re already doing it  and if you know anything about our government, they really don’t give a fuck  if its legal or not. However, to do it outright in the open is a specially seasoned brand of freedom-removing tea bagging.