The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) last month admitted to using spyware to gain access to citizens’ smartphones, laptops, and the cameras and microphones on them in a filing with parliament — reports The Guardian.
The tools, which have been used on at least 10 investigations between 2018 and 2020, give the police access to text messages, email, photos, videos, audio files, calendar entries and financial records. The software can also remotely turn on the camera and microphone of a suspect’s phone or laptop.
According to the filing, the RCMP’s special investigative teams can resort to using these “on-device investigative tools” when they have exhausted less invasive means of collecting data.
The RCMP argued the use of spyware has become necessary as new security measures like end-to-end encryption have made it “exponentially more difficult for the RCMP to conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance.”
However, this kind of unauthorized access is exactly what features like end-to-end encryption are designed to prevent. Earlier this week, Apple even announced ‘Lockdown Mode’ — a new, more extreme security feature to help protect iPhones, iPads, and Macs from targeted spyware.
Privacy advocates and security researchers have spoken out against the practice on principle. What’s more, the RCMP has a muddied history with the use of technology for surveillance.
Back in 2017, the police agency admitted to using mobile device identifiers, known as IMSI catchers, to track cellphone data during criminal investigations.
Critics are pushing for more government oversight and regulation over the RCMP’s use of surveillance technology.
Ron Deibert, a political science professor at the University of Toronto and head of Citizen Lab, said the use of spyware gives the RCMP an “extraordinary window into every aspect of someone’s personal life,” adding that it is akin to “nuclear-level technology.”
Deibert’s Citizen Lab and The Guardian have played key roles in exposing various countries’ use of Israeli cyberintelligence company NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware. The RCMP, however, did not disclose who it is purchasing surveillance software from in its filing.
“That’s my biggest unanswered question,” Deibert said. “Because we know there are some companies that are horrible when it comes to due diligence and routinely sell to governments that use it for grotesque human rights violations.”
NSO Group’s Pegasus, for example, has been used to spy on journalists, minority groups, political figures, and more.
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“Unbelievable”…said no one with a functioning brain in Kanukistan.
Before he was elected, the masses didn’t accept the narrative that Justin was both incompetently inexperienced and a radical Marxist. The media successfully portrayed anyone pointing this out as being some far right wingnut.
Wonder how long until they are able to recognize his tendencies toward tyranny. Will it only be when they are the ones being rounded up, spied on or re-educated? Actually, even then they might not figure it out.
The same people that were demanding to be locked in their own homes will find this type of government activity perfectly excusable.
To be fair, a large majority of these ‘masses’ voted for turdeau to vote harper out. At least for those I personally know, it had little to do with what turdeau’s platform offered.
And there still isn’t a viable alternative that the masses can get behind to keep conservative agenda out.
Sadly, many voted for legalizing pot…that helped put Trudeau in.
Lol I laugh …. “Keep the conservative agenda out”
I hope you are loving your inflation and record debt and virtually zero economic growth,
There will never be a perfect or even a good politician that will do right by its citizens. The system is flawed and we’re all to blame because instead of pointing our anger where it belongs we choose to fight with each other. We cant make change until we stand up against the government together. Doug ford wins a majority how does that even happen? Goodbye healthcare hello privatized hospitals and doug fords income tax bracket goes up another 20 million in a year. Yet enough people vote him in again. As far as cops go they’re all goofy and crooked af. Not as bad as American cops but not much better. Anybody who believes they have rights in this country anymore you are wearing the tinfoil on your head and you’re already brainwashed into thinking so. People voted for Trump because the majority are gun toting racist rednecks nord. Trump is the biggest criminal yet he was voted in by a racist redneck vote lol
They are all in Klaus Swaub’s pocket…left – right. No lesser of 2 evils here…
What brand of tinfoil do you use bud? Trudeau doesn’t run the RCMP, and you can’t tell me they wouldn’t have been spying on people if a right wing person had been PM all this time. Stop watching fox news and maybe develop a personality outside of blaming politicians for your problems. Exactly what kind of “tyranny” is coming from the left anyway? The only people I see taking rights away and establishing their own narrative outside reality are the same ones starting goofy truck convoys while they complain about the price of gas.
Yeah, because there aren’t multiple current allegations from senior RCMP that the PMO was directly trying to influence an active investigation. Nor testimony that the PMO tried to manipulate the AG-MOJ into a specific decision in another criminal case. And it’s not like the PM suspended parts of the charter in order to shutdown peaceful anti-Trudeau protests.
You are a perfect poster boy for a Trudeau supporter. Not very bright and easily manipulated. I’m guessing 19 or 20, given the level of ignorance.
“Tin foil hat wearer’s” huh, your F’N clueless bud!
No previous PM has ever had more than 2 ethics complaints in thier entire career while Adolph junior has had 2 to 3 ethics violations each year! SNC-Lav, We Charity, Freedom Convoy and excercising the War-time act, dolling out millions to select upper middle class for Covid causing epidemic level inflation, shutting down pipelines leading to more inflation…??
No wonder he has to “disguise himself” in “black or brown face” every month…he should be embarrassed, F’ing discrace!
“And Then They Came For Us”
Given our current government this really isn’t a surprise. But until the eastern provinces see reason we’re stuck here.
Right because a Conservative government would never spy on its people, good point buddy
Your very best response comes down to “yeah, but I think, without actual reasons, that others would do the same”.
You get taken advantage of a lot, don’t you.
Point is Liberals are allowing it buddy.
Exactly,and don’t forget the Harper government’s attempts to spy on us with bills C-46,C-47, C-30, C-13 and C-51. Liberal…Conservative – same sh*t different pile. We live in an elected dictatorship.
Wow…….”Left” much?
If the “good guys” are doing this, what are the “bad guys” doing…
It’s naïve to think the RCMP are the “good guys”
Obviously you haven’t met any of the “bad guys” yet.
Unless the RCMP are paying my cell bill…LEAVE MY DEVICES ALONE.
Spyware is a program so they would have to get the program installed on the phone. If the phone is locked out only way is you would have to download an app or they are doing it thru cookies(trackers) you would have to visit a specific website. So how do they get the people they want to track to do that. Most likely the covid apps.
Not true.IIRC Hailstorm is an IMSI catcher type app that can be surreptitiously installed.
Exactly, such a bogus claim being made
You mean GCHQ and Israel defense contractors and the absolute corruption and lawlessness in this country.
Oh don’t worry this government watches them… Of course, who’s watching the watchers? A corrupt Liberal government and their police state, a Prime Minister who doesn’t have the balls to stand up to a board of directors at SNC Lavemoi but sicks thousands of police officers on people having a protest in a hot tub because they used his name in a manner both rude and disrespectful. What a piker. You trust that? Go ahead and vote the skunk in again I dare ya.
It wasn’t just that he didn’t have the balls to stand up to SNC. He stood to personally benefit from letting them off, acknowledged as much and then worked to pressure the AG to let them off. He’s corrupt.
We went after the hot-tubbers because they called him names.
agreed 100 %
Justin turdo is Hitler and the RCMP are Gestapo and SS
I highly doubt the RCMPs claim. Scare tactic propaganda. You can’t just “target” someone’s phone that’s not in your possession.
ha ha ha ha , if you only knew…
Two words, stingray.
Yes you can