Dark Days for Canadian Privacy

Canadian citizens' privacy under attack from government, big business

September 13, 2007

A pair of articles from CBC News this week indicates that Canadian citizens' privacy is currently under attack by both big business and government. The first article concerns a new Google application, Street View, which allows users to see close-up 360 degree pictures of selected addresses, including candid shots of random passersby who can be individually identified in the pictures. According to Jennifer Stoddart, Canada's Privacy Commissioner, it may break Canada's privacy laws as "it does not appear to meet the basic requirements of knowledge, consent, and limited collection and use" of private information. As if that weren't bad enough, a seperate article, released yesterday, details the government's attempts to infringe on its own citizens' privacy by attempting to gain access to telephone and internet records on individuals without court orders. This abuse is being investigated by Public Safety Canada and Industry Canada, who have recently begun a "consultation" on the process that they forgot to tell anyone about.

That Google should be involved in a privacy scandal should not be particularly surprising. Just this summer they were declared an "endemic threat to privacy" by Privacy International, a privacy watchdog who released a study in June ranking Google at the bottom of a list of major internet companies in terms of respecting customer's privacy. And let's not forget, after all, that Google has deep and longstanding links to the American intelligence community, a fact which even HSToday—a mainstream magazine targeted at "homeland security decisionmakers"—recognized in an article last year.

Nor should it be so surprising that Government agencies are attempting to infringe on privacy rights as well, given the Neocons of the North currently in charge of Parliament. A spokeswoman for Stockwell "may or may not have been at the secret Banff SPP meeting last year" Day said the government was not trying to keep the public consultation on the government's new spying measures secret...they just hadn't gotten around to posting the information on their website yet. And oh by the way, the deadline for input was slated to be less than 2 weeks from now, but since CBC showed up with reporters, they may just extend it a little. Well I don't know about you, but my mind is at ease. Of course, Michael Geist is not so easily placated, being a professor at the University of Ottawa who was involved in two previous consultations on this matter but wasn't even informed of this "consultation".

These stories come as stark reminders that privacy rights must be jealously guarded from all those who would gain by their erosion; big business and big government alike. Concerned citizens must do their part to let those parties know our rights will not be stolen so easily.

Immersive Media, the Calgary-based company which is preparing the personally-identifiable pictures for Google's Street View can be emailed here.

The office of Public Safety Canada can be reached at 613-991-3301.

The office of Industry Canada can be reached at 613-954-5031.