Bill C-56, the anti-counterfeiting bill that opens the door the Canadian implementation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, has been referred to the Industry Committee for review. The government imposed time allocation on the bill to move it to committee. The debate on the bill yesterday suggested that all parties support […]
News
Who Is Watching the Watchers?: Ten Questions About Canada’s Secret Metadata Surveillance Activities
The surveillance story may have started last week in the U.S. with the leak of several secret surveillance programs including massive surveillance of the metadata from all cellphone calls, but the Canadian questions continue to mount. The U.S. disclosures immediately raised questions about the possibility of Canadian involvement or the inclusion of Canadian data. Given the common communication infrastructure and the similarity between Canadian and U.S. laws, it seemed likely that Canada was engaged in much the same activities.
By Monday, the Globe was reporting that the CSEC has its own metadata surveillance program with approval granted through a ministerial directive from Defence Minister Peter MacKay in 2011. When questioned about the issue, MacKay sought to assure Canadians that the surveillance only involved foreign communications. Despite those assurances, the questions have continued to mount:
Library and Archives Canada Delays Paywall Plans
Library and Archives Canada has delayed plans for a major digitization initiative with Canadiana.org. The plans leaked online earlier this week, attracting considerable criticism for the creation of a paywall.
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 […]
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