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Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he is now open to shortening the time electronic service providers would be required to keep digital metadata under a proposed bill intended to help police and spies.
Just days ago, Anandasangaree flatly rejected the idea of changing a provision in the legislation that could require service providers to retain metadata — digital traces of a communication, but not the email or text itself — for up to one year.
Metadata can include information such as who sent the data, who received that data, when it was sent and where.
Critics of the provision say the measure would allow for the capture of private information about ordinary Canadians who have no connection to any crime.
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist told the House of Commons public safety committee the stored metadata, including location information, would amount to “a comprehensive surveillance map of virtually every Canadian.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Anandasangaree said that after further discussions with people interested in the bill, the government is more open to shortening the maximum time frame of one year.
The government is expected to propose changes to the bill at the public safety committee, which is going through the legislation clause by clause.
Tech companies and privacy advocates have also criticized the bill’s language for potentially weakening the security of the apps and devices used by everyday Canadians.
