On Bill C-30 and Internet Surveillance

"You're either with us on this bill, or you're with the child pornographers."

That was essentially Vic Toews' sentiment in recent days following all the backlash over bill C-30, which he introduced in the House of Commons. How very Anakin Skywalker of you, Mr. Toews. It's this kind of absolutist, fear-mongering to quell dissent, along with a list of other fact/opposition silencing actions, that have enraged Canadians since the federal Conservatives won their majority government last year. Stephen Harper et. al. have shown that they don't like the truth or any naysayers to ruin their parade. Well, once again the people of this country are standing up and saying NO to tyrannical ways, Mr. Prime Minister, and it's a good thing, too.

There has been a huge cyber and public outcry since bill C-30 was first introduced in the legislature, and there is good reason for that. The bill, if passed, would give police the right to ask internet providers for your IP address and other information about the identities you use online without a warrant. It also forces internet service providers to re-work their systems to make wiretapping and surveillance possible. Police would need a warrant before they could spy on you, but who's to say others couldn't hack into this network and see which political or porn websites you like to frequent? And who's to say that police or politicians won't use this new option, secretly of course, for their own gains? The reality of having Big Brother lurking in the shadows not far off is enough to make me, and millions of other Canadians, leery of this Tory legislation. Below is a link by the Toronto Star`s Michael Geist that foreshadows such dire outcomes if bill C-30 passes.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1136406--bill-c-30-opens-canada-to-big-brother-inc-business-geist

I'm not saying I'm in favor of child porn in any way. In fact, I'm all for finding ways to catch child pornographers in order to protect our kids, but this isn't the way to go. Despite the fact that surveillance systems could be used by a cons...err draconian government bent on quelling opposition forces, or that corporations or clever individuals could hack into the system to gain valuable personal details, there is also the practical matter of costs for the proposed project. A CBC article is indicating that it would cost $80 million over 4 years to get things off the ground. In a time when governments can't find money to fund education, health care, homeless shelters or peoples' hard earned pensions, why are they willing to waste a ton of money to keep tabs on people online? The link to the CBC article is below.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/02/community-reaction-to-online-surveillance-bill-80m-setup-costs.html

Some authours are also concerned about what bill C-30 could do to the use of pseudonyms and anonymous commentary by individuals on the World Wide Web. The Globe and Mail`s Ivor Tossell mentions that in his article linked to below:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/digital-culture/ivor-tossell/toewss-child-pornographers-gaffe-aside-bill-c-30-has-real-dangers/article2344551/

I have to agree with Tossell on a number of points. I agree that it would be easy for the police to get a warrant to investigate those behind comments posted on the net that they, or the government, didn`t appreciate. And under the new law, ISPs would have to provide investigators with information that could reveal the faces behind certain pseudonyms. Now I`m not trying to argue that people should be allowed to just post anything on the internet without consequence, because that can be cowardly in some cases, especially when it involves bullying. But when those pseudonyms protect people involved in union building, political protests and actions and other moral and ethical actions that those in power might deem to be worrying.

So, what this boils down to is that bill C-30 can`t be passed by the House and Senate because it will cost too much, will allow police, governments, companies and hackers to spy on people and because it will take away the ability for people to find safety in psedonyms when rocking the establishment`s boat. Time to support those thousands who have already taken up the good fight against this nasty bill. Fight the power!