Bill to help authorities probe online activities raises widespread privacy fears | NanaimoNewsNOW
Bill to help authorities probe online activities raises widespread privacy fears | NanaimoNewsNOW
Publish Date: 2026-05-10 06:07:00
Source Domain: nanaimonewsnow.com
Threshold for obtaining subscriber information
Under the bill, authorities could demand that a telecommunications provider like Bell or Rogers reveal whether it provides service to an individual or a number of interest — a measure intended to speed up investigations.
Police would need reasonable suspicion that a crime has been or will be committed and be able to demonstrate that the information would be helpful in investigating that offence.
Currently, police can obtain a general production order from a court to go further and obtain subscriber information, such as the name, address and email linked to an account. The government says this can take time.
The new legislation would create a narrower court order that would allow police to seek subscriber information from a service provider.
Police would need to apply to a judge and establish that they have reasonable grounds to suspect criminal activity. They would also need to satisfy the court that subscriber information would assist their investigation.
The government says the measure is not particularly sensitive, since it is limited to information that identifies clients and services and does not include the contents of communications such as emails.
Legal experts expressed concerns about the provision to the MPs studying the bill.
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist took issue with the fact that the bill sets the standard for seeking subscriber information at “reasonable grounds to suspect” criminal activity, rather than the higher threshold of “reasonable grounds to believe.”
Supreme Court of Canada decisions have pointed to a high privacy interest in subscriber data, he said. “Setting the bar lower invites further Charter litigation, placing the provision on shaky legal ground,” he added.
Thompson Rivers University law professor Robert Diab said the subscriber information provision would allow police to know the types of television services to which an individual subscribes…
