More questions were raised Thursday (May 29) at a House of Commons Justice Committee studying a new government bill extending surveillance powers of the Internet to protect children from cyberbullying.
Photo Credit: Kin Cheung/AP

Bill to prevent Internet bullying, also gives wide surveillance powers, critics say

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It’s called the “Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act” and the Canadian government says its main goal with Bill C-13 is to protect children on the Internet. But privacy critics are raising numerous questions about the additional Internet surveillance powers police forces would be given.

Earlier this month, Ann Cavoukian, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s most populous province of Ontario wrote to the government MP chairing the House of Commons Justice Committee studying the new bill suggesting “The time for dressing up overreaching surveillance powers in the sheep-like clothing of sanctimony about the serious harms caused by child pornography and cyberbullying is long past,”

On Thursday, the Justice Committee heard from witnesses that again called for the extra surveillance powers in the bill to be taken out and split into another bill that could properly address the issue of surveillance.

RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda has a report.

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More information:
Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act text and status – here

twitter.com/wojtekgwiazda

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