http://news.nationalpost.com/Stephen Harper used to talk about the virtue of individual res…
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The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Harper Now Has His Own Secret Police
A feature of totalitarian states around the world is a “secret” police force that is engaged in spying on a nation’s citizens and keeping them in line with implicit threats of “legal action”. Most notorious among these would be East Germany’s Stasi, but there are many examples. In Canada, it
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Bill C-13 Does Not Address Online Bullying
In spite of the Harper Government’s public claims to the contrary, Bill C-13 has very little to do with online bullying. It talks about a whole lot of things, but only a small fraction has anything to do with online bullying. At its core, it adds a few changes to
Continue readingImpolitical: Benchquest: The what to do with Vic Toews saga rolls on
Just reading Tim Harper’s latest, hot off the internets: “Vic Toews and his quest for the bench.” This part jumped out: The Court of Appeal post is a federal appointment and Harper is believed to have told Toews that he would not appoint his minister directly to the bench. Instead,
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Vic Toews To Use Magnotta Murder Case To Revive Internet Surveillance Bill C-30
In dictatorial regimes, tyrants rule by manipulating prevailing public emotions. They use the smallest emotional opportunity to create draconian laws that take away the people’s rights and freedoms. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has certainly learned a thing or two from this modus operandi. He wants to use Luka Rocco
Continue readingImpolitical: Harper’s extra-Parliamentary internet surveillance committee
This news is a new low in the Harper government’s ongoing debasement of Parliament’s role in Canadian democracy: In the months leading up to the introduction Bill C-30, Canada’s telecom companies worked actively with government officials to identify key issues and to develop a secret industry-government collaborative forum on lawful
Continue readingImpolitical: The #TellVicEverything sequel: #TellDaveEverything
I was half joking in my post yesterday about the need for a #TellDaveEverything hashtag in the U.K. on the occasion of the U.K. Tories introducing their own intrusive internet surveillance legislation. Turns out, the fine citizens of the U.K. have got one up and going. Good for them! Hope
Continue readingImpolitical: UK Tories to introduce internet surveillance law
Conservatives worldwide seem to be uniting under a new banner of privacy invasion: Under legislation expected in next month’s Queen’s Speech, internet companies will be instructed to install hardware enabling GCHQ – the Government’s electronic “listening” agency – to examine “on demand” any phone call made, text message and email
Continue readingImpolitical: Routine cellphone tracking in the U.S.
There is a must read as context for the Canadian C-30 legislation that is pending, the lead from the New York Times today: “Police Tracking of Cellphones Raises Privacy Fears.” The American Civil Liberties Union has put together records from police departments across the U.S. showing widespread cellphone tracking that
Continue readingImpolitical: A short C-30 video
“OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis and Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian debate whether the powers proposed in Bill C-30 are needed to battle cybercrime. More at: http://bit.ly/wvdZLb.”
Continue readingImpolitical: A House of Commons marker laid down for the C-30 rewrite
This was the text of a motion passed in the House of Commons last night. The motion was brought by Liberals with a view to the coming debate at committee over C-30, the Conservatives’ proposed and invasive internet surveillance legislation: That the House recognize: (a) the fundamental right of all
Continue readingImpolitical: A pause on the internet surveillance bill?
So reports the Globe late last night: “Ottawa hits pause on Web surveillance act.” The Harper government is temporarily parking controversial legislation that would grant new powers to authorities to police the Internet while it consults on how to rewrite it to assuage privacy concerns among Canadians and within caucus.
Continue readingImpolitical: Late night
“The state has no business in the hard drives of the nation.” You go, Rick Mercer!
Continue readingImpolitical: Keeping an eye on the ball that is C-30
More on C-30 here. On the one hand, there was this presentation from a Vancouver police official yesterday: “People need to focus and keep their eye on the ball,” said Warren Lemcke, Vancouver’s deputy chief constable. “We can’t monitor your e-mails. We can’t monitor your phone calls. We can’t monitor
Continue readingImpolitical: Family Day drive-by blogging
Well it’s a holiday of some kind in Ontario today, that Family Day thingy. Whatever you may be doing, have a good one. Here’s a bunch of reading material, for lack of better terminology, for your day off. Most of it is a break from Canadian politics. 1. This seems
Continue readingImpolitical: Conservatives against online spying & other notes
There is a letter cross-posted at OpenMedia.ca that has been sent to the members of the conservative Free Dominion site. It’s essentially an appeal for the Conservative base to contact their MPs and encourage them to speak out against C-30. This online spying legislation is antithetical to core conservative principles
Continue readingImpolitical: Hilarious spin
Well now, he is the omniscient one: “Harper sensed cyber outrage was looming.” Prime Minister Stephen Harper had already made the decision to kick a controversial cyber crime bill to committee even before Opposition howled because he sensed a public backlash was rolling his way, QMI Agency has learned. Harper
Continue readingImpolitical: Backtracking on #C30?
A quick post on the day’s events….in the wake of the tremendous backlash to the Conservative internet surveillance legislation, the Harper crew are making noises about amendments to C-30. See “Government willing to consider changes to online surveillance bill,” for example, where Conservative MPs Williamson, Anders and Tilson are cited
Continue readingImpolitical: El busto
Opinion is lining up firmly against the Harper government’s internet surveillance legislation. Harris: “Bill aimed at internet predators empowers Big Brother government.” The only thing that separates a democratic state from a police state is the notion of accountability. Police powers are restrained under the due process of our judicial
Continue readingImpolitical: Disgraceful
A Conservative minister stated this in the House of Commons: But when Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia attacked the Conservatives for “preparing to read Canadians’ emails and track their movements through cellphone signals” – which does appear to be a severe distortion of the bill’s powers – Mr. Toews’s counterattack was
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