RELEVANT
FOCUSED
READY

Cyber Surveillance & Privacy in Canada
Megan McGibbon

Introduction

Discussion

The purpose of this study is informed by the statement “balancing the
emergency against the intrusion” (Geist, 2015). The context of this
statement describes the need for cyber surveillance in order to best
ensure national safety, against an overstepping into citizens’ personal
information. The intention of this study was to provide an informative
and current report in the field of public safety and law enforcement,
focusing on cyber surveillance and privacy. This research study
sought to answer the question: Does cyber surveillance help or hinder
the safety of Canadian citizens?

This research is important as it highlights a current and pressing issue
in law enforcement and public safety. The digital landscape changes
rapidly, and the public must be educated and legislation adjusted in
appropriate time. Giving governments the authority to conduct
warrantless data collection should be informed by research, not by
fear. There appears to be no consensus in regards to a formal
definition of privacy, and this problem needs first to be addressed to
target the center of the issue.
What a society doesn’t want is this fear driving policy. The seemingly
never ending fight against terrorism can serve as a major proponent
that lends itself to a never ending excuse to spy on civilians personal
lives (Bilton, 2013). Giving government the social authority to
conduct this sort of cyber espionage has critics quick to reference these
activities as being a step along the path to an Orwellian society. It is a
high stakes enterprise in which society is a major stakeholder, and
should treat the responsibility as such.

Background
In a recent study conducted by McAfee and the Center for Strategic &
International Studies, they have estimated that two-thirds of the people
online, more than two billion individuals, have had their personal
information stolen or compromised (Lewis, 2018). It is also estimated
that cybercrime may now cost the world almost $600 billion, or 0.8%
of global GDP (Lewis, 2018). It is clear that this is an inherent
problem not just for Canada, but worldwide. It is because of statistics
like these that surveillance through government and law enforcement
agencies is deemed necessary. Advocates of a surveillance society see
this as an important and useful resource for law enforcement to prevent
crime like never before, and an opportunity to provide irrefutable
evidence if a crime is committed and surveillance is available. These
supporters follow the old adage, if you aren’t doing anything wrong,
there is no reason to fear. However the trade-off for this kind of
protection could mean justice for all, and privacy for none (Bilton,
2013). Inquiries into whether the government and their agencies are
collecting beyond the reasonable needs of their operations is where the
beginning of the concern lies.

Methods

The significance of this research study is that it shines a light on
Canadian attitudes regarding cyber surveillance and the protection of
their personal privacy. These attitudes were examined against the
findings from academic and scholarly literature, to illuminate an
apparent disconnect between citizens levels of knowledge and concern
about some of the problems that academics are predicting. Technology
and the Internet are such powerful tools, often for positive purposes,
but they can be weaponized for negative purposes as well. This body
of work encompasses a brief snapshot of a much larger issue, and is
intended to supply a level of basic knowledge about the subject.
Further research should be conducted into programs to educate and
inform the public about their privacy rights online.

References

The methodology used for this study was a mixed methods
approach, using both qualitative and quantitative data. Only
secondary sources of information were used to ensure
timeliness and compliance with outlined ethics standards.
Information was gathered primarily using the Justice Institute
of British Columbia online library, Camosun library database,
and Google Scholar. This literature was then compared with
results from the Public Opinion Survey of Canadians on
Privacy years 2014 and 2016, prepared for the Office of the
Privacy Commissioner of Canada. The data was analyzed for
trends and patterns to illuminate the current status of both the
academic literature against Canadian public opinion.

Bilton, N. (2013, July 16). The pros and cons of a surveillance society.
Retrieved from https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/thepros-and-cons-of-a-surveillance-society/.
Geist, M. (2015). Law, privacy and surveillance in Canada in the postSnowden era. [N.p.]: University of Ottawa Press.
Haggerty, K. D., & Ericson, R. V. (2000). The surveillant assemblage /
L'assemblage surveillant. The British Journal Of Sociology, (4),
605
Lewis, J. (2018). Economic impact of cybercrime: No slowing down.
Retrieved from
https://www.mcafee.com/us/resources/reports/restricted/economicimpact-cybercrime.pdf .

Results/Findings
The 2016 Public Opinion states that “nearly three in four Canadians
feel that they have less protection of their personal information in their
daily life than they did ten years ago” (OPCC, 2016). This statement
echoes the ones made in the 2014 Public Opinion Survey that
Canadian’s felt that their ability to protect their personal privacy online
was becoming obsolete (OPCC, 2014). Canadians who rated
themselves more knowledgeable about privacy rights were more likely
to express extreme concern for protection of personal privacy.
A finding of interest is that in 2016 “half of Canadians [surveyed]
agreed that intelligence gathering and law enforcement agencies do not
have enough power to collect private information from citizens in
support of national security and public safety” (OPCC, 2016). This
statement appears to contradict the literature, which often stated that
the expansion, intensification, and integration of surveillance measures
by government and law enforcement may have too much power
already (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000).
In addition, there is seemingly no option to opt-out of hierarchical
cyber surveillance should a person feel that it is unwanted. Such
surveillance can be seemingly undetectable, and an individual may not
even be aware their privacy has been breached. It is recommended
that provisions are implemented into government policy to provide
accountability and oversight when such powerful tools are being used,
often beyond the scope of public knowledge. While national security
is of the utmost importance, the upholding of civil liberties needs to be
included in the conversation as well.

Bachelor of Law Enforcement Studies

Conclusion

Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc. (2016). 2016 Survey of Canadians
on Privacy: Final report. Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Justice Institute of British Columbia

April 2018