cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/48273678
With no serious debate, including on proposed amendments, Canada is blazing full speed ahead with Bill C-22, which would threaten encryption and increase surveillance. Also known as the Lawful Access Bill, Bill C-22 is currently moving forward quickly to a vote despite the many, many criticisms civil liberty groups and the tech industry have hurled at it.
As we’ve discussed before, Bill C-22 is dangerous on multiple levels. It pushes for requirements for metadata retention, expands information sharing with foreign governments, and establishes a mechanism that allows Canada’s Ministry of Public Safety to demand that companies create backdoors, effectively breaking encryption. That mechanism was a key facet of Part 2 in Bill C-22, and the government prevented it from being independently debated.
In a deep analysis of the bill, Citizen Lab and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association detail every one of flaws of this proposal, concluding that most elements are unsalvageable.
A wide range of tech companies agree. Signal, Apple, Google, and several VPN providers oppose the bill, and some have said they’d likely be forced to either cut Canadians off from certain features or shut down services in Canada altogether.
The Canadian government wants this dangerous, complicated, overreaching bill passed before June 19. Bill C-22 is riddled with privacy problems that affect millions of people. It should be debated and studied fully, not jammed through on an arbitrary deadline.
OpenMedia is offering a tool for Canadians to contact their elected representatives about the bill. Actions taken on OpenMedia's website are governed by OpenMedia's privacy policy, not EFF's.
You're a little behind on posting this. C-22 has now passed, although this is not the end of the process. It will proceed to debate in the Senate, which is where pressure now needs to be applied.
It is also important to keep hammering your MPs about this. Express your disgust. Tell them how disappointed you are in both this terrible law and this terrible process. Laws can still be changed. Even if this goes into effect as is, the government can still be convinced to back off from actually enforcing it, and it can still be modified or repealed.
Do not accept bad laws. Continue to fight them, forever. Laws can always be changed.
What would be a good way to word an e-mail to my MP to express my disgust for this bill even making it this far?
I don't think there is a correct way. Just be honest and personal. That's going to mean a lot more than writing something that sounds like you filled in the blanks. Be polite, but be forthright. If you're angry, say that you're angry. If you're upset, say that you're upset. Don't swear at them or hurl insults, but don't hold back about your feelings. They need to know what voters think, they're not going to get that from you trying to write a cover letter.
Where to see how our MPs voted on this?
Looks like every lib voted for it. It was on ourcommons.ca but I can't seem to find the voting record to link it.
Public debate was shut down and turned "private" so there's no public record of what anyone said.
For a bill that makes all of our communication open to them, they sure have a strange desire for privacy...
Voters need to withhold their votes from these surveillance ghouls.
Ask them. If they refuse to answer, that's all the answer you need.
It still needs to be given the thumbs up by the senate, with any luck the senate will send it back to the house. As much as I would like to see the US companies leave Canada forcing Canadian alternatives, but at the same time any back door for one person is a back door for everyone.
The senate voted in favour for the age verification bill s-209 after 3 readings they’re not going to oppose c-22.
There's at least 100 likes on this post. What else do you want