Archive for June 11th, 2013

Will Canada Stand Up for the Rights of the Visually Impaired?

Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on June 11, 2013 as Will Canada Back the Rights of the Visually Impaired New technologies have opened the door to greater access for millions of people who are visually impaired, yet copyright law frequently stands in the way. This is particularly true in the […]

20th Century Laws Meet 21st Century Surveillance: Why Metadata Surveillance is a Serious Concern

The concerns about telephone and Internet surveillance moved north yesterday as the Globe revealed that Canada has its own metadata surveillance program. The program was discontinued in 2008 after concerns that it could involve illegal surveillance of Canadians, but was secretly restarted in 2011. It is not clear what change sparked the policy reversal (if there was a reversal – some believe the program was never stopped). The issue was raised in the House of Commons, but the response from the government focuses on two claims: (1) that the surveillance does not target Canadians; and (2) that the data captured is metadata rather than content and therefore does not raise significant privacy issues.

Neither response should provide Canadians concerned for their privacy with much comfort as it increasingly apparent that Canada has 20th century protections in a world of 21st century surveillance.

University of Toronto, Western Provide Notice to Access Copyright That They Will Not Extend Licence

Ariel Katz reports that the University of Toronto has notified Access Copyright that it will not extend the current licence agreement. It points to a range of factors – the SCC decisions, copyright reform, and open access among them – to argue that there should be substantial reductions in the […]