News

Ontario Privacy Commissioner Cavoukian on Lawful Access

Ontario Privacy Commission Ann Cavoukian has written an important op-ed adding her voice to the critics of lawful access plans, arguing that “lawful access” is a misleading term for a system of expanded surveillance.

3 Comments


  1. Of course it’s a misleading term, just like Digital “Rights” (restrictions) Management, “Trusted” (treacherous) Computing, “Intellectual Property”, “Piracy”, “Theft”, “Copyright Theft”, Copyright/Patent “Protection”, “Intellectual Property Rights”, “Genuine Software”, and on and on.

    Using deceptive, illogical, and plain stupid terms and euphemisms have been quite commonplace in regards to restricting, punishing, and surveilling citizens using the Internet.

  2. Eric is correct. In the “professional” world they always use fancy words to make the harsh sound less harsh. George Carlin brought up a great example in an act about how Shell Shock has evolved through Battle Fatigue, Operational Exhaustion, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and now Combat Stress Reaction.

    Fancying up the harsh truth with soft words to make the bad seem not so bad.