Latest CSE spying revelations underline need for oversight
Latest CSE spying revelations underline need for independent, democratic oversight, and raise huge questions around Bill C-51
Canadian spy agency CSE is
collecting and storing millions of private emails that
Canadians send to the government, including emails sent to
Members of Parliament. The content of the emails are being
stored for months, with deeply revealing metadata about them
held for years. That’s according to reports this morning
on CBC News and The Intercept, sourced from documents
provided by NSA whistleblower Edward
Snowden.
Responding to the news, OpenMedia’s
communications manager David Christopher
said: “These fresh revelations are further proof of how
CSE recklessly disregards the privacy of Canadians. While
government cybersecurity is important, there is clearly no
cybersecurity need to retain people’s private information
for months or even years.”
Christopher continued:
“Communicating with one's local MP or the government is
part of everyday life here in Canada, and citizens should be
able to do so without fear of being spied on. These
revelations underline the need for independent, democratic
oversight of CSE. They also raise huge questions around the
government’s Secret Police Bill C-51, given the expanded
domestic role CSE is likely to play if the legislation
passes.”
Canadians are speaking out about CSE and
Bill C-51 at https://OpenMedia.org/SpyOnUs