A blueprint solicited by Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner has proposed a compromise to pending legislation increasing law enforcement’s surveillance powers on the Internet, The Canadian Press reports. Assistant Privacy Commissioner Chantal Bernier asked University of Montreal Law Prof. Karim Benyekhlef “to help find a middle ground between security and privacy” within the government’s approach to Bill C-30. The legislation would allow law enforcement to obtain Internet subscriber data without a warrant. Benyekhlef has proposed a five-step process, or a “warrant light” approach, to judicial authorization, the report states. A review by the privacy commissioner notes that the professor’s analysis is similar to existing powers for authorities seeking financial and commercial data.
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