CCLA Calls for Moratorium on RCMP Surveillance ‘Tools’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CCLA CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON RCMP SURVEILLANCE ‘TOOLS’

August 9, 2022

TORONTO —  Brenda McPhail, Director of Privacy Technology and Surveillance Program for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made the following statement after her testimony at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics:

Instead of helping to fix vulnerabilities in software the RCMP has been exploiting them through advanced spyware. This is making us all less safe daily in the name of public safety.

Our government agencies are encouraging an industry known for prioritizing profits over human rights and feeding the worst impulses of authoritarian governments.

Today, the CCLA is calling for an immediate moratorium for on device investigative tools, more colloquially known as spyware, to remotely collect texts, emails, and even turn on microphones or cameras remotely. We need to continue the public conversation to determine whether these tools are necessary and fit for purpose in Canada, and until it is complete these tools should not be used.

Canadians should remember the RCMP did not proactively disclose it was using these tools or subject them to a privacy review.

If Canadian law enforcement is to be allowed to use these ‘tools’ we need a system in place, including enhanced accountability and transparency measures to protect that public and updated laws to reflect the new technological reality.

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About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.

Media Contact:
media@ccla.org
Alex Nanoff – 613.709.6318