Canadians' Online Privacy Rights Are at Stake. So Where is Public Safety Minister Vic Toews?

Federal Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart sent another letter to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews today.

In it, she warned him about the implications of the proposed online spying legislation. Stoddart cites the recent public discussion about online spying as the reason for her renewed concerns. She writes, "Canadians expect their government to respect their fundamental rights and freedoms. [...] To date, Canadians have not been given sufficient justification for the new powers when other, less intrusive alternatives could be explored."

The Privacy Commissioner has now sent multiple letters to Vic. He has not responded. He also did not respond to the joint letter from academics and public interest organizations in the Stop Online Spying Coalition. As well, Vic failed to respond directly to the outcry from the tens of thousands of Canadians who have signed the petition.

"The government clearly has no real justification for these poorly thought-out online spying bills," said Steve Anderson, OpenMedia.ca's Executive Director. "It is clear that Canadians' privacy rights are at stake, which is made all the worse by the fact that we'll have to foot the bill for new invasive surveillance infrastructure."

OpenMedia.ca and the Stop Online Spying coalition support Stoddart's call for strengthened oversight and reporting safeguards in the online spying bills.

Photo: CBC