Canada Is Forging Ahead with Its Dangerous Surveillance Bill
Canada's Bill C-22, also called the Lawful Access Bill, is advancing rapidly toward a vote with little legislative debate. The bill would require metadata retention, expand data sharing with foreign governments, and create mechanisms that critics say threaten encryption and expand government surveillance powers.
Why this matters: This bill touches your data at a structural level. Metadata retention means the government can track who you contact, when, and from where, even without reading your messages. Expanding data sharing with foreign governments means that information can travel to places with weaker protections and less accountability. The threat to encryption is the most serious part. Encryption protects everyone, including journalists, lawyers, activists, and ordinary people. Passing a bill this consequential without serious debate is not a procedural footnote. It is how governments lock in surveillance powers before anyone can push back.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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