Ottawa’s proposed strong-borders legislation could compromise cybersecurity in Canada by prohibiting electronic service providers from warning each other of vulnerabilities found in their systems so they can bolster their defences against hackers, experts warn.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the proposed legislation, known as Bill C-2, contains a “sweeping provision” that, if the bill becomes law, would introduce a secrecy requirement running counter to how cybersecurity works.
The “prohibition on disclosure” covering electronic service providers includes a ban on disclosing “information related to a system vulnerability or potential systemic vulnerabilities in electronic protections employed by that service provider.”
Bill C-2 is currently at second reading in the Commons. On Tuesday, NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan called in the Commons for the bill’s withdrawal, saying it was flawed and would give the government fresh surveillance powers and compromise Canadians’ privacy.
She said it could allow law enforcement to demand information, without a warrant, about whether Canadians have used a range of services, including psychiatrists.
