Tell Harper to defend Canadians' online privacy

It has just been revealed that the government accesses the private data of Canadians once every 27 seconds.[1]

That means that 1 in 34 Canadians have had their sensitive information spied on by the government within 12 months.

When questioned in Parliament, Prime Minister Stephen Harper refused to take action to defend our online privacy.[2] Please tell Harper that he is rushing through Bill C-13 that will give telecom immunity when they help the government spying on you -- Call on Harper to stand up for Canadians now before more of us are victimized by spying and breaches of your data. (NOTE: Democracy Watch is supporting this action in partnership with OpenMedia.ca and the National Protect Our Privacy Coalition)

The Harper government’s approach is:

• Irresponsible: We know that information collected by the government reveals sensitive details about your online activities leaving us more vulnerable to identity theft and cyber criminals.[3]
• Out-of-control: The government actually called on telecom providers to hand over information about our private lives 1.2 million times in 12 months, and have one provider “building subscriber databases that bureaucrats can access at will.” [4]
• Hugely expensive: You’re paying for the millions that this spying activity is costing taxpayers.[5] That’s right: you’re paying to have your privacy invaded.

We need to speak up now and demand that Harper take responsibility to defend our privacy. Tell him we need modern, common-sense rules that keep government spies out of our homes and out of our personal lives.

Odds are that either you, your family, or your neighbours have been victims of these dangerous transfers of our personal data.[6]

We’re talking about information that could reveal your friends, health information, political views, where you go, and who you have relationships with.

Are you comfortable with telecom companies selling the government your sensitive data without your knowledge or consent?

Do you want critical information about you to be stored in various unsecure government databases?

This isn’t about right and left, this is about right and wrong. We know from past privacy debacles that Harper will move if enough citizens speak up.[7]

We do not deserve this reckless collection of our sensitive information. Tell Harper to take responsibility and defend our online privacy now.

Footnotes

• [1] Canadian telcos asked to disclose subscriber data every 27 seconds. Source: Michael Geist
• [2] Talk to cops, not me, about data request: Harper. Source: Sun News Network
• [3] Inside Canada’s top-secret billion dollar spy palace. Source: CBC News
• [4] Significant threats to online privacy lie in the government’s online spying Bill C-13, which, if passed, would give authorities warrantless access to Canadians’ online activity, as well as Bill S-4, which allows telecom companies to give our information to private companies without court oversight. In addition, the secretive and out-of-control actions of CSEC continue to concern peop le across the country.
• [5] Immunity for telecoms targeted in campaign against C-13. Source: Huffington Post
• [6] CSEC used airport wi-fi to track Canadian travellers. Source: CBC News
• [7] Digital Privacy Act opens copyright loophole that Teksavvy-Voltage case closed. Source: CBC News
• [8] Conservatives agree to amendments of Electoral Reform bill. Source: Toronto Star