Spy Laws in Canada

The use of honeypots is not expressly prohibited under applicable Canadian law and, to our knowledge, no jurisdiction currently provides further guidance. However, the general application of Canada`s privacy laws applies to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information, whether or not it can be used defensively. The above exceptions regarding the use of tags may also apply; However, such exceptions should also be assessed on a case-by-case basis. External experts have repeatedly called for updates to Canada`s intelligence laws. She also pointed to legislation introduced by the Liberal government in 2017 and 2019 that strengthened independent oversight of the agency. 2.1 Governing Law: Please cite all applicable laws in your jurisdiction that apply to cybersecurity, including laws that apply to monitoring, detection, prevention, mitigation and incident management. This may include, for example, data protection and electronic data protection laws, intellectual property laws, privacy laws, information security laws and import/export controls. Canadian privacy laws require that users consent to or be adequately informed of the collection, use and disclosure of their PI and have the ability to withdraw that consent. This means that the Minister can decide which laws CSIS can violate or ignore with the immunity of the law.

These classes, which would otherwise be crimes, could encompass many acts and lead to many abuses, especially for a spy agency that works mostly in secret. This is a law enforcement power (which should also be discussed) and should not be given to secret spy agencies. The OPC`s identification and authentication guidelines state that metadata collected from devices through tracking mechanisms (i.e., tags) can be used to identify an individual without their knowledge, as devices are typically associated with individuals. The metadata collected by these devices could include key information, the use of which may be considered surveillance or profiling. Some exceptions under Canadian privacy laws may apply to the use of beacons (e.g., subsections 7(1) to (2) of PIPEDA), and their use should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. A: Over the past decade, Canada has passed serial legislation to support the expansion of law enforcement surveillance activities, all under the name of counter-terrorism or protecting Canadians from cybercrime. This is a legislative trend that previously legalized illegal surveillance activities; It does not really try to stop illegal surveillance, nor does it protect the rights set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada`s privacy regulators have issued guidelines, published findings and provided best practice recommendations to organizations for creating incident response plans and guidelines, conducting cyber risk assessments, and conducting penetration and vulnerability assessments. While there is no strict requirement to comply with these guidelines, non-compliance may result in a non-compliance with an organization`s obligations under applicable data protection laws.

Canada`s privacy laws, including those relating to personal health information, also contain provisions prohibiting the unauthorized collection, use, disclosure and access to personal information (“PI”). For example, under section 107 of the Health Information Act of Alberta, RSA 2000, c. H-5, it is a criminal offence to collect, obtain or attempt to collect personal health information contrary to law (e.g., by electronic theft without the consent of the individual concerned); The maximum penalty for such an offence is a fine of $200,000 for individuals and $1,000,000 for any other person. Under Canadian privacy laws (e.g., B., Schedule 1, Principle 4.1 of PIPEDA; section 5 of Alberta`s PIPA; and section 4 of British Columbia`s PIPA), organizations are required to designate one or more individuals responsible for complying with obligations under the respective by-laws. including compliance with security requirements. Since Canada`s privacy laws do not specify a specific title, these individuals may be referred to as “privacy officers” or “chief information security officers,” for example. Canadians, in the case of a document, a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, or a corporation incorporated or continued under the laws of Canada or a province; (Canadian) From the introduction of spyware to the massive collection of personal information by big companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, spying on Canadians is done using laws that support illegal mass surveillance, says University of Victoria sociologist Midori Ogasawara. In addition, class action lawsuits may be filed in Canada following an incident that results in a personal data breach. The most common pleas in class actions are: Yes. In previous class actions, representative plaintiffs have alleged various torts, including negligence in failing to prevent an incident. There have been no court decisions regarding privacy class action lawsuits in Canada, although settlement approval decisions suggest that there are grounds for awarding damages on this basis.

Yes. Organizations are required by Canadian privacy laws to protect personal information. An organization`s responsibilities include reporting, notifying and recording breaches in the event that an incident affects PI. Other laws in Canada may include additional disclosure requirements, and organizations should confirm this on a case-by-case basis. Some say that the law may never be able to keep up with the rapid pace of technological development, so we do not have the ability to regulate technology. But we still need laws to protect people`s well-being. Financial service providers must comply with federal and state laws that contain specific provisions to protect PI. For example, the Canadian Bank Act (S.C. 1991, c. 46) contains provisions governing the use and disclosure of personal financial information and may, by regulation, require Canadian banks to establish procedures to restrict the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal financial information. Provincial credit union legislation also usually includes provisions that address the confidentiality of members` transaction information. In addition, many provinces have legislation that deals with consumer credit reporting, which usually imposes an obligation on credit reporting agencies to ensure accuracy and limit the disclosure of information.

Financial services regulators have also issued various cyber security recommendations, including a set of guidelines developed by the Bank of Canada, the Department of Finance and OSFI in collaboration with other G7 partners. Such a monitoring programme shall be notified; For example, through a privacy policy for employees. Monitoring of workers in a unionized environment must be conducted in accordance with applicable collective agreements, and monitoring of employees must comply with Canadian labour laws. Employee monitoring is generally permitted under Canadian privacy laws, but must be conducted in accordance with those laws and for appropriate purposes, such as preventing, detecting, mitigating and responding to cyber attacks. PIPEDA and Alberta`s Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”) require private sector organizations to notify affected individuals of specific violations of their PI. Notification of data subjects may also be required or appropriate under provincial data protection laws. For example, the health legislation of the provinces of Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador also has reporting requirements related to the health care industry. Q: How do our current laws actually support broader surveillance activities? For example, Bill C-13 legalized telecommunications service providers who voluntarily provided subscriber information to law enforcement agencies without a warrant and lowered the standard by which judges can order the disclosure of communications data.

Bill C-44 removed territorial restrictions on CSIS`s activities and allowed the agency to conduct activities that could even violate the laws of other countries. Audrey Champoux, spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, suggested changes could be on the government`s agenda. Note: Person who has previously been tried outside of Canada Beacons (i.e. imperceptible, remotely hosted graphics inserted into content to trigger contact with a remote server that reveals the IP address of a computer displaying such content) Many Canadian government departments and agencies play a role related to cyber security in Canada for critical infrastructure and operators of critical services. All of these organizations are committed to Public Safety Canada (“PS”); PS is the division responsible for coordinating all federal agencies and agencies responsible for national security and the safety of Canadians, and has published guidance on the fundamentals of cyber security for Canada`s critical infrastructure (see (hyperlink) F. What do you think of the recent revelation that the RCMP is likely using NSO Group`s Pegasus software, which is now on the international blacklist? The Security of Information Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. O-5)[1], formerly known as the Official Secrets Act, is an Act of the Parliament of Canada that addresses national security concerns, including the threat of espionage by, intimidation or coercion of, and against ethnocultural communities in and against Canada.