14 DAY TRIAL // The famous Canadian Internet monitoring bill known as C-30, the one proposed by the country’s Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, will most likely never become law, at least not in the form proposed by the official.
Similar to the one currently proposed by the British government, C-30, or the lawful access legislation, would allow authorities to obtain the identities of crime suspects from their Internet service providers, The Globe and Mail reports.
It’s well known that the controversial legislation was opposed by many internauts, including the famous hacktivist community Anonymous, who launched many threats and attacked a number of websites as a form of protest.
But as it turns out, they weren’t the only ones unhappy with the way the bill was presented. Many members of the parliament were also discontent and despite Toews’ numerous arguments regarding its benefits, the legislation was bound for failure.
Normally, such a proposition goes to a first reading and then a second one in which it’s approved, but in this case, House Leader Peter Van Loan, has sent it to be revised by the public safety committee.
However, sources have told The Globe and Mail that the committee will probably not get a chance to do so before it expires.
Even if the law resurfaces in another shape, those who oppose it will not welcome it unless some major changes are instated, including to the part which states that the police can obtain information from ISPs without a warrant.
Whenever such a bill is proposed, its authors design it with a noble purpose in mind, in this case, helping law enforcement identify online criminals. However, the ways they’re worded makes room for a lot of abuse, which is why rights activists and privacy groups will never agree to them.