CSIS, Surveillance, and Privacy

The privacy relationship between government and people has been turned upside-down. People have a right to their privacy, but are increasingly subject to surveillance and intrusion. Governments should be transparent, but are becoming steadily less transparent as they adopt the use of surveillance technologies and data surveillance, including in the response to the coronavirus pandemic. (See [1]).

Canada should:

• Guarantee and effectively implement digital and data surveillance privacy rights. (See [2])
• Prohibit the routine surveillance of protestors. Canadians who protest against the government should not be seen as a security threat simply by way of protesting.
• Prohibit the sharing of protesters' and NGO staff information with the National Energy Board and with other bodies who have no business receiving that information.
• Amend the legislation governing CSIS to make CSIS subject to due process requirements that are the same as police forces.
• Like the RCMP, subject CSIS to internal human rights and equality audits. If CSIS is biased and unable to respect human rights within its own ranks, it will not be able to respect diversity and human rights when fulfilling its duties. (See [3])

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[1] https://ccla.org/coronavirus-update-data-surveillance/
[2] https://iclmg.ca/digital-surveillance-covid-19/
[3] https://theconversation.com/why-charging-incels-with-terrorism-may-make-matters-worse-139457