The Victoria Times-Colonist features a masthead editorial on the ACTA negotiations that concludes that work on the treaty "should not be taking place in secret and it should consider the best ideas from wherever they might come, and not just from a small group of insiders."
News
Meeting With Bob Rae on C-61
A constituent reports on their meeting with Liberal MP Bob Rae.
Tech Companies Express ACTA Concerns
IP Justice has posted a letter from a group of leading technology, Internet, and telecommunications companies in the U.S. focused on concerns related to ACTA.
61 Reforms to C-61, Day 35: TPMs – Unnecessary Coverage of Circumvention Devices
I have spent much of the past month identifying problems with Bill C-61's anti-circumvention provisions. While the bill misses many necessary exceptions and includes exceptions that do not withstand careful analysis, even the current list of exceptions pre-suppose that a person has the technical ability to circumvent. There may be a group of Canadians with sufficient technical expertise to do so, but my sense is that the overwhelming majority would not even know where to begin.
There are several mechanisms that could be used to address this issue (and note that it must be addressed or else even the meagre exceptions within C-61 will be illusory). The first would be to ensure that the bill does not touch the legality of circumvention devices themselves.
CBA Responds on Do-Not-Call List
The Vancouver Sun features a letter to the editor today from Canadian Bankers Association President Nancy Hughes Anthony on the do-not-call list and iOptOut.ca. The CBA professes support for the DNC, noting that "it's easy for Canadians to opt out of telemarketing calls. Simply sign up for the national Do Not Call list." Hughes Anthony neglects to mention that CBA members are exempt under the DNC where there is a prior or current business relationship. Under the rules, that means your current bank gets to call for a wide array of additional services even if your number is on the DNC list. Moreover, if you simply inquired with another bank about a mortgage rate or credit card offering, they can continue to call you for another six months. The CBA has a history of defending its right to make these telemarketing calls. In 2004, it made submissions to the CRTC asking that its members be excluded from new telemarketing rules, arguing that its practices "do not constitute 'undue inconvenience or nuisance'."
With respect to iOptOut.ca, the CBA raises three objections, of all of which were dismissed by CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein.
Recent Posts
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The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 237: A Conversation with Jason Woywada of BCFIPA on Political Party Privacy and Bill C-4 
Lawful Access on Steroids: Why Bill C-2’s Big Brother Tactics Combine Expansive Warrantless Disclosure with Unprecedented Secrecy 
Government Reverses on Privacy and the Charter: Department of Justice Analysis Concludes Political Party Privacy Bill Raises No Charter of Rights Effects 
“Big Brother Tactics”: Why Bill C-2’s New Warrantless Disclosure Demand Powers Extend Far Beyond Internet and Telecom Providers
