Online surveillance bill would have unlocked personal secrets: privacy watchdog

OTTAWA – A new study by the federal privacy watchdog says the government’s recent bid to give police more information about Internet users would have unlocked numerous revealing personal details.

The privacy commissioner’s office says the online surveillance bill was effectively a digital key to determining a someone’s leanings, the people they know and where they travel.

The Conservative government abandoned the legislation following a public outcry.

The bill would have allowed police, intelligence agents and competition bureau officers access to Internet subscriber information — including name, address, telephone number, email address and Internet Protocol (IP) address — without a warrant.

Currently, release of such data held by Internet service providers is voluntary.

The study says the federal government’s characterization of the information as similar to a phone-book listing grossly underestimates what can be gleaned from the data with a bit of additional effort.