Comments for Government Introduces Bill To Require Surveillance Capabilities, Mandated Subscriber Disclosure at http://www.michaelgeist.ca , comment 1 to 90 out of 20 comments http://www.michaelgeist.ca Wed, 22 May 2013 07:48:15 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-37297 Its standard procedure for the ISP to log your internet activities for a certain duration (3-6 months). As soon as this law passes your information is available. This law is coming... so, let's protect our personal data now. Here's some things you can do: Any time I go on line I use VPN4ALL (you can select any vpn service you like). All transmission from my computer to it's destination is encrypted. Even my ISP doesn't know what's being transmitted or what sites I've been to.. My vpn guarantees not to maintain any logs. All my data is on portable hard drives and encrypted with free software (diskcryptor). Even my laptops are encrypted with the same. When using P2P I use Vuze, which has an encryption option. I run PeerGuardian2 when running Vuze. I don't use Hotmail or Gmail.They are too easily accessible by authorities. If authorities asked these providers for access to their account information it would be unlikely they would even need a warrant. I created email accounts overseas while using vpn (so even the offshore email providers don't know my ip address).. My wife thinks I'm paranoid. I'm ok with that because this work only takes a few extra minutes to set up. in my opinion I'd rather be too paranoid than not paranoid enough... - Blair Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:49:18 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14147 So, tomorrow I am going to go out and begin posting on every telephone pole and billboard I can find my protest to this act and ask people to ask their parliamentarians why they are being so quiet about these bills. Summer break from Parliament does not mean summer break from responsibility to your constituents. I will have two friends following me with cell phones with cameras and I recommend everyone else who thinks these bills go too far do the same. They cannot arrest you for using TAPE (please use tape because we all know staplers are lethal weapons) to post to public billboards and utility poles a simple political protest. In fact, I dare them to. - Loran Hayden Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:54:34 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14115 I wonder what's next scanning people's hard-drives? Or will that be built-in to the ISP Security package? I'm glad I've moved into removable storage drives for my files and the only thing that's on the computer hard-drive is software. The move into cloud computing is going to make this a useless measure because of the many anonymizer web-sites available to people on the Internet and removable storage drives and online storage. Technology-wise, these guys are at least 5 years behind. Since I'm reasonably certain this draconian legislation will pass at some point and then will (not might) be abused, I think I know where I'm going to be investing next :-). - Trance Gemini Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:03:03 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14113 Without court supervision this is very dangerous and as others have indicated neither necessary nor will it accomplish what the police and intelligence agencies appear to think it will accomplish for them. The end result will simply be that the privacy of innocent Canadians will become vulnerable to abuse and I don't think anyone is so naive that we don't realize that morally bankrupt individuals in the police and intelligence agencies as well as ISP staff will abuse this. While the police and intelligence agencies try to hire good people they can't guarantee that everyone they hire is. This bill needs to die in it's entirety. - Trance Gemini Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:51:25 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14094 Oh, you use encryption, but you aren't a banker, lawyer, politician or cop - clearly you are doing something unsavoury - we'll just sieze every piece of electronic media and equipment you have - in the meantime, off to jail for you. We'll get back to you in a year or so with charges...or not. - Lunlupus Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:29:53 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14093 "Make it illegal to possess a computer virus for the purpose of committing an offence of mischief, even if the virus has not yet spread." Another charge waiting to happen when they throw the book at you - oh, you got a virus, I bet you must have been intending to spread that...5 years and fines up the ass for that...lets just make it easier for them shall we? Oh, we see you woke up and logged onto the internet today - you must be a pervert - off to jail. - Lunlupus Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:26:50 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14092 "Make it illegal to possess a computer virus for the purpose of committing an offence of mischief, even if the virus has not yet spread." Well, so I surf and get a virus - wasn't my fault, I send it unknowingly to a friend - but now I am liable for it? And how is an offense of mischief defined inre possessing a virus? And, exactly what *is* a virus? I'm unaware of such a definition in the Canadian legal system (though I am sure there is one on the way, if not already in the books secretly) - Lunlupus Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:18:53 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14085 Funny isn't it? Here we see headlines in the newspapers about the Chinese Govt insisting that computers have a chip in it so they can halt any freedom of speech, and all our so called democracies are ranting about this invasion of Chinese privacy in their commentaries. But, there is hardly a word from those same outstanding citizens/elected officials or our privacy (ha) commissioners on this issue. But truly, it's commercialism alright. Next step? They will insist North Americans have this same control chip to be installed upfront next time they buy a computer. Maybe we already have this? Maybe they forgot to tell us? .... a minor oversight? - john zee Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:45:12 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14071 What this proposed legislation does is simply open another door for police/government to abuse the average Joe. Imagine the damage that could be done by a single jealous cop accessing the information of someone he found while snooping through his wife's email contacts. Or by an overzealous cop snooping into the lives/locations/personal information of anyone he/she doesn't like from online forums or chats or .... Imagine the risk if you ever piss someone off and they manage (one way or another) to get your ISP or email address and report you falsely but anonymously to the cops (easy to do at the rcmp website) - next thing your life online is an open book. This info should only be accessible through oversight from the judiciary - not at the request of any cop with a badge - and they will claim that they will oversee themselves so its nothing to worry about....yeah, right.... - Lunlupus Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:54:29 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14056 "Minister Van Loan thinks IP Address/email address same as phone numbers- Canadians have "no expectation of privacy"" - Michaels twitter This is ridiculous and insulting. Beyond the fact that many people ask that their phones or addresses not be listed because they believe them private, it is much more important for emails and ip's because access is not restricted as it is with phones and addresses... Only local people can abuse phone and address information (mostly) but the whole world has easy access to abuse your email and ip if you don't keep them private. He might be able to say that we don't deserve to have our emails and ip addresses private, or that it should be sacrificed for his bill, but no expectation? Who honestly believes this? I don't know about minister Van Loan, but I'm a canadian, and I expect these items to be kept in confidence by anyone I give them to. If I gave my IP address and email to a friend, and they published it on the internet, I would be thoroughly pissed and would try to get them changed. It's a personal security issue if your private email and ip address are published. Also, I would like to see all his emails and home IP address published. Then he can find out why they need to be kept private. - crade Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:22:17 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14053 So prove otherwise. Put forth a valid argument rather than insults. If you have any proof at all that Harper really gives a damn about Canadians' rights, then give me some quotes. Prove to me that the speech he made to the National Citizen's coalition in 2005 didn't happen. Can you prove that he hasn't been the great divider? Your post says otherwise. Canada DESERVES a police state because of one post? That sort of thinking is just as harmful to you as it is to the rest of us. - M. C. in B.C Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:22:04 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14033 "Corrupt politicians (read 'despots') like Harper rise and thrive largely due to Voter Apathy." Its idiotic comments like this that make me think Canada DESERVES a police state. Maybe you hadn't noticed, but Canada VOTED IN Harper. To suggest that the LIEberals have clean hands is pretty much paramount to saying that the sky is green. Please, get a clue before spouting your verbal diarrhea all over the boar30d. - Meister Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:03:01 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14032 Who to vote for? This might work if we had some way of predicting the actions of politicians at election time... Unfortunately, there is no law against lying your ass off to become elected and not disclosing what you are going to do once you are elected. There certainly was no hint that the Harper government was planning to introduce this bill that we could theoretically have used to decide to vote against them at election time, and there was never any hint that the other parties are any more or less likely to introduce this type of a bill... Basically what we have is a bunch of black boxes that we get to pick one and find out whats inside later when it's too late. You can sort of look historically to see what each party is likely lying about at election time, but it's really just guesswork. They are all pretty uniformly unpredictable once they are elected. captch words: student waste - crade Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:00:39 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-14019 Your key word are "election" and "vote". Corrupt politicians (read 'despots') like Harper rise and thrive largely due to Voter Apathy. Hopefully there will be an election in the fall, but that alone is not enough. People have to go to the polls and vote in order to preserve democracy. Just enough people got out to vote to prevent this ultra right-wing nut job from getting a majority, but we might not be so lucky next time. Anyone who reads this can help. If your friends are saying "I'm not voting", then get them off the couch and drag 'em by the short 'n' curlies to the polling atation if you have to. If you know a homeless person, go and vouch for them so they can vote--many of them don't have proper ID. Start campaigning for the Vote now. The more you pass the word around, the more people will know how important their vote really is. Let's all do our bit to get the vote up to at least 75-80%. Politicians are a lot more hesitant to piss off the people if a high voter turnout occurs to remind them that we're paying attention. This the single most important first step in preserving democracy, our Charter, and the freedom of our Internet; otherwise, our best ever communications tool WILL BE TURNED AGAINST US. - M. C. in B.C. Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:48:56 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-13994 SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT: This is a message for every Canadian Member of Parliament: IF you are prepared to be cavalier about the right to privacy of Canadians, IF you are considering advocating "driftnet" surveillance/filtering laws which arbitrarily permit predator governments to stalk the entire citizenry (which in turn may not re-elect you!), & IF you feel inclined to vote in favour of any bill which legitimises the already existing technology & authorises Echelon style invasion of Canadian privacy & surveillance of Canadian internet activity ........ then you must also vote for an amendment to this proposed bill which would immediately mandate a legal requirement that all so inclined MPs be made to remove all doors from their own homes, -all of them- the front door, all bedroom doors, all bathroom doors. Perhaps that might make you feel a tad more empathic regarding callous abuse of power regarding any bill which proposed the violation of the rights of others who elected you? - Mia Nony Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:36:12 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-13980 Wow. So. Moving to Quebec, voting Separatist. Ashamed to be Canadian right now. - griselming Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:47:59 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-13971 According to a condensed history of the internet posted at "http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Internet_ Assigned_Numbers_Authority", the internet has always been a militarized zone, which was opened to the public to promote government intelligence and the development of enterprise commerce. We don't need to look any further than the UK's images on our currency to recognize the fact that Canada's constitutional monarchy is following close upon the heels of UK's Orwellian lead, which is why Canada has been forging ahead behind the scenes with the National Routing System for our vital statistics per EU specs for the unification of a global broadband economy. We already have the chipped RFID debit cards and Driver's Licenses rolling out...and if you start digging through Developer's websites, such as "http://code.google.com/p/thebeast/", you will start to discern that Google's Satellite per Google Maps would have been in existence for testing purposes for years prior to their release of "Google Latitudes", the handy dandy GPS tracking device for your iPhone/iPod to keep a keen eye upon "your friends".... As a realist, I don't believe we can fault the ISP monopolies for capitalizing upon this cash cow...we need to take a closer look at why Canada and the US have closed their borders to law abiding citizens without passports...we need to examine why Canada has been hiring thousands of "auxilary police officers" over the past 5 years...and we need to ask ourselves if our passion for electronic toys isn't ultimately the cause of the tightening noose around our civil rights...particularly when chipping human beings is on the global agenda by 2017. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee...forget the Canadian news propoganda...start reading the European news instead... - Sharon Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:01:03 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-13962 Van Loan is my rep. He will definitely be hearing from me about this issue. I will also talk to as many people around here about it as possible. I'll try my best to get this idiot voted out of power. - Peter Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:21:42 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-13960 @Mark Warner: This bill as it stands requires a warrent for police to demand content from ISPs, but does not require a warrant to track internet users, ip addresses, etc down, ie if they see a suspiscious user on a chat site, or whatever, they can ISP must tell them who the person is associated with that user, and there address and number and stuff without a warrant. This is the part that people are saying is an about face from what dude said before: "We have not and we will not be proposing legislation to grant police the power to get information from Internet companies without a warrant. That's never been a proposal," Comments on this from gov are basically that it has been already ruled that name, address, phone number are not personal information and are not covered under privacy rules. - crade Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:50:04 +0100 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4069/125/#comment-13953 The first time I saw harper on the news when he was running for the joint Reform/Alliance (PC) party his shifty eyes and fake smile reminded me of a creapy weasel...as the election progressed and his stupid statements kept hitting the headlines it showed how much of a right wing nut job he was. I nicknamed him little hitler to my friends never thinking he would still be around after getting trounced in the election. He learned after the first election that if he didn't change his image and keep tight rain on what his ministers said then he would lose again...he spent 2 years or so on image consultants and to learn french just so that he had more of a polished look...he though is still little hitler, just more polished now. With this new bill that he has put forward is more fascist control...next he will be making us wear on our outer cloths our names, addresses and nationality/religion so that they can quickly identify us in crowd....similar to 1930's.... Get rid of this bill. Concerned. - Anon Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:13:08 +0100