The So Called Digital Privacy Act

Some things just never cease to amaze me.

Remember a few years back, there was a tremendous uproar because the long form Census wanted to know how many toilets you had in your home?  This was horrid!  Egregious!  An unjustified invasion of peoples’ privacy!

How many illegal toilets do people have?

Now the same people who decried the invasion of the Toilet Counters are backing the Stop the Child Pornographers Stop the Bullies Internet Act.

Remember that one?  The Pornographer one I mean.

Remember Vic Toews standing there and telling us that we either stand with the Harper Party or we stand with the Child Pornographers?

Well we weren’t standing with the pornographers and we aren’t standing with the bullies… but we sure as shootin’ aren’t standing with the Harper Party on this.

Listen, if the police suspect that someone is doing something illegal, there are ways to investigate this.  Take your evidence to a Judge and get the Judge to sign an order.  Take that to the ISP or the phone company and I have no issue.  It’s transparent and it’s legal.

What is being proposed is that the police check up on you because someone told them to.  Who is someone?  I don’t know and the police won’t have to tell you.  Maybe you ticked off your neighbour?  Maybe you ticked off the PMO?

And there is no messy getting a warrant or dealing with Judges part, they’ll just snoop and if they find something, they’ll act.

Nice huh?

Actually the police do have this power.  They can tap your phone or snoop your internet without permission but that information can only be used to help get a warrant.  It can’t be used in court.

Imagine this.  The police walk in unannounced and proceed to go through your house without your permission.  What would you do?  Call the cops?  They’re already there.  Demand to see the warrant?  Call your lawyer?

Why should you care?  If you’re not doing anything wrong they won’t find anything, will they?

That’s the tired argument proponents of this invasion use against you.  Wanting to retain your privacy makes you suspect?

You cannot justify one without allowing the other.

And you were worried about toilets.

Think about it…

BC