Appeared in the Toronto Star on June 15, 2013 as Surveillance Laws Can’t Handle Modern Snooping Technologies Revelations about secret surveillance in the United States involving both Internet-based communications and the collection of metadata from all cellphone calls immediately raised questions about the possibility of Canadian involvement or the inclusion […]
Post Tagged with: "csec"
Discussing Who is Watching the Watchers
I appeared on Gorilla Radio on CFUV, Victoria’s Campus Community Radio Station, to my post, Who is Watching the Watchers. Listen to the interview or download it here.
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:
CBC’S Radio Noon Montreal: Government Surveillance Program Raises Alarms
I appeared on CBC’s Radio Noon Montreal to discuss the federal government’s electronic surveillance program. Also on the program were Colin Freeze and A.J. West. For audio of the interview click here.