Justin Trudeau has cancelled Parliament, is confiscating private property, and is now ‘strongly recommending’ a potentially invasive government tracking app for our phones.
The Canadian government claims it will offer contact tracing apps on a voluntary basis.
That may not always be the case.
The Emergencies Act grants the government extraordinary powers. Trudeau sought to invoke it, but was stopped by the Premiers, for now.
In April, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, together with provincial Privacy Commissioners issued A Framework for the Government of Canada to Assess Privacy-Impactful Initiatives in Response to COVID-19.
On May 29, during testimony at the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, the Privacy Commissioner revealed the federal government has still not consulted with his office about a contact tracing app.
Recently, as part of regular updates, which includes security patches, Google and Apple have incorporated an Exposure Notification Application Programing Interface (API) to support COVID-19 contact tracing applications from public health authorities.
The only safeguards in place are the measures Apple and Google claim to have taken in developing the Exposure Notification API.
The goodwill of foreign corporations is not enough for me.
That is why I am asking Canada’s Privacy Commissioner to review the technical specifications of the Exposure Notification API, the related policies put in place by Apple and Google on government use of the API, and the measures Apple and Google are actively taking to ensure governments are respecting our privacy.
Trudeau said he wants to “strongly recommend” Canadians install this government application. Before you download the Trudeau Tracking App, or find it downloaded for you, help ensure it is safe and secure by co-signing my letter to the Privacy Commissioner.