Like many bloggers, I 'enjoy' frequent visits to this blog from the federal government. While I have no idea whether a profile of me exists within the dark bowels of the Harper regime, in my more grandiose moments I like to think that my ruminations are a source of some digestive distress for the federal government.
For those concerned about the Harperites' propensity for domestic surveillance, a new tool has been developed that allows you to very quickly generate a letter to the privacy ombudsman for your ISP.
The new tool, developed by some of the country’s top privacy experts, makes it easier for Canadians to force their provider to disclose their practices.
“What we’re trying to do as researchers is identify what kind of data telecommunications companies in Canada collect, obtain and process, and disclose to third parties,” said Dr. Christopher Parsons, a fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs’ Citizen Lab.
“But we also wanted to make it easier for Canadians individually to engage in the same sort of action.”
Here is the link that will take you to the site, hosted by openmedia.ca. I used it this morning to generate a letter that I then sent off by email. My service provider is now required by law to provide a response within 30 days.
I shall keep you posted of any developments.
Hi Lorne. Some time ago I opted for SurfEasy. It's a USB key that allows you to emulate a computer in the US, UK, Singapore, Brazil and other countries. It comes with its own web browser and, when the USB key is removed it leaves no trace of ever having been used. For example, if you're travelling and need to use a hotel computer, you leave no information behind. I got it because of the number of hits I was receiving from Lockheed and US defence intelligence agencies. The best part, however, is that it enables me to access NetFlix US or UK and other sites that computers with Canadian addresses routinely find blocked. Anything I do concerning sensitive issues such as the Northern Gateway I do on SurfEasy. We know the Harper government is spying heavily on Canadians.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Mound. I had not heard of SurfEasy. On occasion I have used masking software such as Hola if I want to watch something online that is not licensed for Canadian distribution.
DeleteIt's available through FutureShop, BestBuy and others. I think it's about $50. The nice part is there's no monthly service fee and you can use it on any computer with an internet connection.
ReplyDeleteThanks, again, Mound.
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