Real privacy means oversight

Citizen Lab Director Ron Deibert wrote a joint commentary with Ann Cavoukian, Andrew Clement and Nathalie Des Rosiers in the Globe and Mail.

“A steady stream of revelations from U.S. National Security Agency whistle-blowing continues to trickle out, and Canada’s most secretive intelligence agency made a cameo appearance last week.

Among the documents describing the top-secret “Bullrun” project was a reference to Communications Security Establishment Canada. The documents show that in the NSA’s covert quest to weaken Internet encryption standards, its long-standing Canadian partner played the part of a willing accomplice.”

Unlike the NSA, Deibert, Cavoukian Clement and Des Rosiers argue that the Canadian-equivalent CSEC’s only meaningful accountability to Canadian citizens rests on a single annual review undertaken by a single individual – woefully inadequate.