Proposed “lawful access” bills would require telecom providers in Canada to hand over personal information to authorities without a warrant or judicial oversight, says pro-Internet group OpenMedia.ca.
     
Beyond violating the civil liberties of Canadians, says OpenMedia.ca, the bills will also hurt Internet users’ pocketbooks. Canadians will pay a high price, as Internet service providers are forced to upgrade their infrastructure to allow terabytes of data to be made accessible.
     
OpenMedia.ca and a group of 35 other public interest organizations, businesses and concerned academics have joined together to challenge the lawful access legis­lation. The Stop Online Spying group is concerned that these bills are set to be fast-tracked without proper examination or debate.
     
Stop Online Spying is calling on Canadians to speak out against the electronic surveillance laws and help keep the Internet open and affordable by signing the petition at www.StopSpying.ca.

“Every single provincial privacy commissioner has spoken against these bills,” says OpenMedia’s executive director, Steve Anderson. “Law-abiding Canadians should be able to use the Internet and mobile devices without Big Telecom and government looking over their shoulders.
     
“These invasive surveillance bills will transform the Internet into a closed, rigid and paranoid space.”

---------------------------------------------------------------
OpenMedia.ca/CALM