Kate Robertson, a senior research associate, and Ron Deibert, director at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, have raised alarms about a federal cybersecurity bill that is set to progress through Parliament, writes the experts in an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail.
The bill, known as Bill C-26, contains provisions that would allow government officials to secretly order telecoms to install backdoors in encrypted networks, potentially compromising the online security of Canadians.
Bill C-26 could allow officials to secretly require telcos to modify 5G encryption standards for example, that protect mobile communications, allowing government spying. Despite warnings from experts, Ottawa is pushing the bill forward without amending the encryption-breaking capability.
It is concerning that the feds seek to create more security gaps instead of addressing existing ones, says Robertson. The new powers in Bill C-26 could compromise next-generation cybersecurity tools, making Canadians more vulnerable to malicious threats.
Citizen Lab researchers presented their findings in parliamentary hearings, warning that the bill’s broad powers could undermine the “confidentiality, integrity, or availability” of telecom services. Despite these warnings, the bill was pushed out of committee without the critical amendment.
Encryption of 5G technology is important for safeguarding communications and protecting against attacks. The law could also impact smart devices and satellite services, which would be vulnerable to new security weaknesses.
Historically, government backdoors have exposed individuals to cyber-insecurity, exploited by various actors including criminals and foreign rivals. Past leaders of major security agencies have opposed measures that weaken encryption, noting significant security weaknesses in interception equipment used by governments.
The government’s cybersecurity strategy appears contradictory, writes Robertson and Diebert. In 2022, Canada banned telecom equipment from Huawei and ZTE due to security concerns, yet Bill C-26 would grant similar authority to the Canadian government. This inconsistency could undermine Canada’s pro-encryption stance and set a dangerous precedent for other countries.
“Against this threat landscape, a pivot is crucial. Canada needs cybersecurity laws that explicitly recognize that uncompromised encryption is the backbone of cybersecurity, and it must be mandated and protected by all means possible,” write the security researchers.
This sounds like something you’d expect from a communist country or a dictatorship. Hard to believe this would be something originating in Canada. I don’t know if I’m ready to let the feds go backdoor on me in secret—are you?
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If they open up a back door, someone will find a way in..just a matter of time.
They don’t care as long as they get the access they want.
It’s been said before, but everyday these clowns prove it to be true. They read 1984 and thought it was an instruction manual for governing instead of a warning. There’s no way they can be so closely mimicking the book without it being intentional.
I really do wonder, when did governments like this realize they could literally behave like fictional villains and the population wouldn’t care at all?
With this government it's even more so. They have no business doing anything in the name of security if they can't even secure themselves.
"With this government" Wouldnt be any different with another one! If not worst!
It is not “hard to believe” that the Trudeau government would try to do something like this, they are the ones who wanted to monitor financial activities a few years ago. What needs to be done though, is to have a stop put to it. A government who is concerned about security would not do this. Of course they do several other things that compromise security too..they seem to have an alternate agenda, which is not in the best interests of Canadians.
A dismantling of the rights and freedoms and institutions of western culture was always the Trudeau goal. It’s not like he hid this. He was always pretty blatant in his disdain for Canada and Canadians. His groupies just cheered him on.
You're being downvoted a lot. I guess the supporters are hurt by the truth.
I would get downvoted if I said the earth is round or Ontario is a province. It is a step up from the other thing that happens.
Let’s not pretend this is shocking and Canada is somehow an exception among the other world governments – even so called Western democracies – who are running wholesale surveillance programs on their own population on the industrial scale. Just to name a few from our Southern neighbours: ECHELON, PRISM, Carnivore, Sentient, XKeyscore.
That being said, just because everybody else is doing it, it doesn’t make it alright and we have the right to and should be holding to the higher standards the people that we put in the government to work on our collective behalf.
Can you really blame them? There is so many people doing shady things online.
All of this after the foreign interference turned out to be true, Arrivescam, countless others. What could go wrong. The answer is anything everywhere all at once. This government is so out of touch with reality it's quite laughable that anyone even remotely supports them. It's similar to someone who continuously goes to their doctor to get their heart checked. The doctor shows them the instruments, just out of reach, over a remote zoom call session. Then says, with a big false smile, 'I FIXED IT! BE HAPPY!'
Does Ottawa even bother taking the pulse of the country anymore? Do these supporters of this government have any brains left?