Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows the United States’ 18 federal intelligence agencies to spy without a warrant on non-Americans overseas but many in Congress—especially Republicans—say the measure, adopted after the 9/11 attacks, has been abused and needs to be revised. FISA’s Section 702 music be reauthorized by Congress every five…

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to tech-based surveillance, opening up opportunities for the government and corporations to harvest citizens’ data under the radar, says a technology policy director. The comment comes after media reports in Australia in early June revealed the state government of Victoria—known for spending the longest number of days in lockdown…

An expansive federal law proposal to combat harmful online content is not only “fundamentally flawed” but also violates Canadians’ freedom of expression and privacy rights, warn internet law experts, who are calling on the Liberals to overhaul their approach. The main problem with the so-called “online harms” proposal lies in its ability to filter content…

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been widely promoting a police-developed anti-fraud app that functions as spyware since March, residents described as they explained the degree of invasion the app allows on their phones. The app, known as the National Anti-Fraud Center, masquerades as a protective system for Chinese citizens, but instead provides direct access…

The installation of video cameras at over half the intersections in Richmond, B.C., is raising concerns around surveillance and whether the data could fall into the hands of foreign state agents given that the footage can be purchased by the public. “The main concern is the loss of privacy, of course, and the selling of…

Personal information about COVID-19 patients in China was recently leaked online, sparking a heated debate about privacy. Two government documents began circulating on the Chinese internet, dated Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 from the local disease prevention and control command center of Qinggang county, Suihua city, in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. They listed the personal…