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Canadian Police Recommend Ending Anonymity On the Internet
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."
Yeah, good luck with that one, RCMP! it's like law enforcement lives inside of it's own little reality distortion bubble.
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
You know, the license we've needed for 200 years? The one that lets you anonymously send mail? Oh that doesn't exist? And people coped with this new technology? Even when it was used to deliver literal bombs? But of course we need one for the internet!
The police find it hard to investigate and want an ez-pass.
And, for that matter, Communication is a Federal responsibility under the Canadian Constitution, which has strong privacy rights that the Ontario Police and the PM hate.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Driver's Licenses are an outrage of its own. Somehow somewhere an opinion crept up, that driving is not a right to be taken away from the bad by the Judiciary, but a mere privilege to be granted to the good by the Executive — who, consequently, can also withdraw it without bothering with the pesky judges for any reason (such as not paying child support)... You should be able to drive anonymously — until you break a driving law — just as you can walk anonymously on a publicly-maintained sidewalk and look at a publicly-powered traffic-light without a license.
Marriage gives couples certain additional privileges — above the unmarried couples having sex. The exact perks vary by locale, but they are there. Perhaps, all such perks should be abolished altogether — I'd be in favor of striking away all laws with the word "spouse" in it, although the society may still reward couples raising children together — but until they are abolished, asking for names of people applying for those privileges is Ok...
Now, licensing Internet-usage would also turn it from a right into a privilege — and that can not be allowed, however much the Statists would like to see that happen.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
The real issue has nothing to do with anonymity; it has to do with police being properly trained.
Our society is degenerating to the point where the police are no longer the noble, chivalric knights that they were once intended to be. Proper police training is quite lacking and is on a continual downward slide, and many people no longer have respect for the boys in blue.
Too many cops in Canada are racist, egotistical power-trippers with a badge and a gun.
Law Enforcement should be more concerned with setting the right example by doing the right thing.
Police are supposed to be there "to serve and protect society", although the last word is strangely omitted on the police cars.
"To serve and protect" is ambiguous; it begs the question "who are you serving and what are you protecting?"
It should be obvious, but modern police behaviour would suggest otherwise.
Perhaps the first thing to do is to fix the writing on the wall, so to speak.
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
That the home addresses and phone numbers of all Canadian police be published.
They would only be against that if they have something to hide.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.