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Canadian Police Recommend Ending Anonymity On the Internet

Posted by samzenpus on from the sign-in dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Michael Geist reports that last week the Ontario Provincial Police, one of Canada's largest police forces, recommended legally ending anonymity on the Internet. Noting the need for drivers licenses to drive or marriage licenses to get married, the police suggested that an Internet license that would reveal all users is needed to address online crime. The Canadian Supreme Court strongly endorsed a right to anonymity earlier this year."

4 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. Reading comprehension check by Calavar · · Score: 4, Informative

    TFS said it was the Ontario Provincial Police that gave the recommendation, not the RCMP.

  2. Re:ROFL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    RCMP != OPP

  3. Re:ROFL by TWX · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sounds to me like it's a statement by someone that doesn't understand the broader implications in how collected data over time can be abused either. The American FBI proved that with its extensive files on people of-note that it wanted to find something, anything that could be used against them, even if that leverage was based on something that was not illegal in the then-present, was not illegal in the past, or was illegal in the past but not illegal in the then-present.

    We as a society have changed what is and is not acceptable. Judging past actions and attitudes through a current lens will always yield a negative view, and thus the practice needs to be discouraged when it's not appropriate.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  4. Buried the lede: SENATOR agrees by Maow · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Ontario Provincial Police was part of the law enforcement panel and was asked by Senator Tom McInnis, a Conservative Senator from Nova Scotia, about what other laws are needed to address cyberbullying.

    That's when Scott Naylor of the OPP gave the response outlined in TFS.

    Of course, the Ontario Provincial Police have little influence nation-wide.

    A Conservative senator, on the other hand, does.

    Naylor’s comment was approved by Senator McInnis, who stated that he “absolutely agreed” with the recommendation.

    Of course, the Supreme Court of Canada sides with anonymity on-line. But Senators and MPs have the ability to (attempt to) pass legislation that would attempt this lunatic idea.