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In Canada, No Expectation of Privacy On the Net

The_AV8R writes "In a recent interview, Peter Van Loan, the new Canadian Public Safety minister, says ISPs should be able to provide private user information without a warrant. (The only example he gave was cases of child pornography; the interviewer pointed out that in these cases ISPs are already at liberty to divulge customer information without a warrant, but that the proposed rules would make that mandatory whenever the police ask.) He was adamant that in regard to IP addresses, names, cell phone numbers, and email addresses: '...that is not the kind of information about which Canadians have a legitimate expectation of privacy.' The minister denied — even when presented with an audio clip proving otherwise — that his predecessor had promised never to allow the police to wiretap the Internet without a warrant."

6 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. correct by FudRucker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i dont expect anything on a computer or the internet to protect my privacy, so i take matters in to my own hands, i dont ever post my real name anywhere, i never upload a photo of myself, people need to protect their own privacy if they want their identiy off the internet/websites, --without-facebook --without-myspace even this user account on this PC is named anyuser which is an anonymous brand websites give to unidentified computers/people.

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
    1. Re:correct by wjousts · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But your ISP probably knows who you are right? I mean you signed up with them with your real name and probably pay them every month with a check or credit card.

    2. Re:correct by Jherek+Carnelian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      well yeah, but i dont do anything illegal so i am not attracting the attention of the authorities

      Right. You ain't doin nuthin wrong so you don't have anything to worry about.

      Why even bother with warrants at all? The police never go after someone who has done no wrong.

    3. Re:correct by Darkness404 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hahahahah. Right. Ever listened to a YouTube video that had an audio track under copyright? The RIAA (or canadian equivalents) would love to sue you for that. Posted a comment critical of the government? Next thing you know you wind up on a non-disclosed "watch list" and can't leave the country. Viewed porn of someone 17 by accident? The government would love to lock you away.

      The thing was, before this you had to attract the attention of the authorities, now the authorities might just wonder who IP XXX.XXX.XXX is and find something to arrest you for.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    4. Re:correct by k10quaint · · Score: 5, Insightful

      a.) Listening to the video would not get you in trouble, but uploading it might.
      b.) Relying on the ISP to not divulge the connection between your name and your IP address is obfuscation, not to be confused with actual security. One should use an anonymous proxy to post things you do not want traced back to you.
      c.) You should destroy all your porn after viewing and fapping.
      d.) Relying on the authorities not having the inclination to prosecute you is also a bad idea.

    5. Re:correct by moon3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      i dont do anything illegal

      This argument is extremely naive to say it gently. Just wait until you get some virus or trojan and the damned thing starts to serve some terrible content from your IP or start doing spam or DOS. Then you will have to prove to authorities that "you did nothing wrong", while they have lots of evidence on you.