Internet service providers would have to make it possible for police and intelligence officers to intercept online communications and get personal information about subscribers, under bills tabled Thursday.
"We must ensure that law enforcement has the necessary tools to catch up to the bad guys and ultimately bring them to justice. Twenty-first century technology calls for 21st-century tools," said Justice Minister Rob Nicholson as he announced the new bills with Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan at a news conference in Ottawa.
The bills are intended to modernize the Criminal Code and help law enforcement officials chase those suspected of using the internet and other new technologies to communicate and commit crimes, as well as maximize the ability to conduct international investigations, Nicholson said.
Targets 'safe havens'
One bill, announced by Van Loan, would require telecommunications and internet service providers to:
- Install and maintain "intercept-capable" equipment on their networks.
- Provide police with "timely access" to personal information about subscribers, including names, address and internet addresses, without the need for a warrant.
Van Loan said the bill won’t provide new interception powers to police, but simply update the legal framework designed "in the era of the rotary telephone."
He noted that police can already get the authority to intercept communications, but the network is often incapable of allowing such interception.
"Criminals, child pornographers, organized crime members and terrorists are aware of these interception safe havens. They identify them and gravitate towards them to exploit them and continue their criminal activities undetected, out of the reach of the investigative powers of law enforcement."
Van Loan added that internet service providers are currently not required to provide subscriber information t...