New laws would let police eavesdrop on Internet users

Under the proposed bill, police would first have to get court approval before they could listen in.

Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan told the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee Wednesday that the legislation is needed because current laws are out-of-date.

"We have legislation covering wiretap and surveillance that was designed for the era of the rotary phone," Van Loan said.

The current legislation was written in a time before text messages, Facebook and voice-over-Internet phone lines. Van Loan says there have been recent situations in which police wanted to act quickly to stop a crime, but couldn't because they were constrained by current laws.

"In some of these cases, time is of the essence," he said.

"If you find a situation where a child is being exploited live online at that time - and that situation has arisen before - police services have had good co-operation with a lot of Internet service providers, but there are some that aren't so co-operative."

Police agencies have been calling for new laws since at least the mid-1990s. They say the situation at present provides a digital "safe haven" for criminals, pedophiles and terrorists.

But some privacy advocates are worried about what the proposed bill would allow. In some countries, lawful-access legislation has forced Internet providers to routinely gather and store all electronic traffic of their clients. The stored data can then be obtained by police via search warrant, and effectively places users under constant police surveillance.

But RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said with recent Internet technology developments, it's often difficult or impossible for police to wiretap communication between suspected criminals.

He said the RCMP is supportive of any changes of legislation that would allow them to better intercept criminal communications.

UPDATE: TTC board chair defends public transit safety

There has been an update made to the posting originally posted 01-23-09 at 10:50AM

A new surveillance video has been released of the shooting suspect wanted by Police, Thank you to Sympatico.

Filmmaker to use eye camera for documentary

Big Brother is watching you - and so is Little Brother.

Toronto filmmaker Rob Spence says he is getting a tiny video camera put inside a prosthetic eye to allow him to secretly film his subjects.

Spence says his goal is twofold: to raise awareness of constant surveillance in society and to get people talking unself-consciously.

"When you bring a camera, people change," said Spence, who lost his right eye as a young teen in a shooting accident on his grandfather's farm. "I wouldn't be disarming at all. I would just be some dude. It's a much truer conversation."

He hopes to have a prototype eye cam by February.

"As opposed to Big Brother watching from above, there (will be) Little Brother checking things out from below," he said of his project.

Spence, who has been writing about it on his blog "Eyeborg," plans to use the device for a documentary that will touch on his concerns about surveillance. His subjects won't know they will be on camera.

"People won't be aware of it at all. There's ethical issues with that, but I am a filmmaker," he said. "If you're averse to it, that's fine, don't sign the release form. I won't put you in the documentary."

Spence, 36, likens the idea to HBO's TV show "Taxicab Confessions," where participants can sign a release to have their cab conversations - recorded by hidden cameras - made public.

He's getting help with the project from the University of Toronto's Steve Mann, an expert on wearable computing and cyborgs (organisms that have artificial and natural systems). Mann also has expressed concerns about surveillance in society and how it needs to be counterbalanced by ordinary citizens.

Spence said he believes the tech-savvy will be the modern keepers of civil liberties.

"The more techno-geek you become, probably the safer we will all be."

Spence starred in the 2007 documentary "Let's All Hate Toronto," which aired on CBC-TV. His work has also appeared on Discovery, Vision and Space TV.

He's not alone in his quest for an eye camera. San Francisco artist Tanya Vlach wants a camera implant in her prosthetic eye and has put out a call on her blog for engineers to build her an eye cam, which could let her shoot video from her perspective or "lifecast" events.

Spence said he isn't going to focus on "lifecasting," or broadcasting his life 24-7 on the Internet.

He also isn't going to swap the eye cam, which won't restore vision, for his regular prosthetic eye on a permanent basis.

The video camera will be embedded in a prosthetic eye shell being made by Toronto ocularist Phil Bowen, who said he's not looking at the project from the "whole Big Brother thing."

"I am looking at it as the first step in taking a prosthetic eye that people might be able to see out of," Bowen said, adding that he is hoping a doctor will be able to take the research forward.

He described the camera as about the size of a pea and said people shouldn't notice Spence's camera eye. "It would look slightly lazy, but you shouldn't be able to tell."

The eye cam could be similar to a tiny medical camera used in such procedures as colonoscopies.

Digital commentator Carmi Levy said Spence's eye camera documentary should make people think about how they can move from convenience store to gas station to office to bank and home under the view of surveillance cameras.

Levy said Spence is taking back control.

"It's a Little Brother to the Big Brother presence," said Levy of Toronto's AR Communications Inc. "You are pointing the camera at the world instead of the other way around."

What do you guys think of this idea? would you be open to being recorded by the camera? would you be willing to appear in the documentary? or does the idea of being recorded by someone you don't even know sort of freak you out? post your thoughts...