Achi news desk-
The Canadian Armed Forces has temporarily suspended its counter-intelligence unit from conducting warrantless searches of military members’ computer use.
In a statement to Global News, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the practice of warrantless “IT searches” had been stopped after a highly critical report by the Senate’s national security review agency.
“The DND (a) CAF recognizes the need for better measures to reduce the risk of accidental or accidental collection. Charter– personal information protected,” a DND spokesperson said in a statement.
“As a result, DND/CAF suspended the counter-intelligence IT searches for personal information until a new legal basis was established. DND/CAF is reviewing relevant operational policies and procedures to make the necessary improvements.”
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DND did not respond to a direct question about the counterintelligence unit snooping on the computer use of employees and military members without a warrant. Instead, it referred to “accidental” or “accidental” breaches of members’ privacy rights.
This comes after the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) released a report on Thursday raising questions about the counter-intelligence unit that could breach privacy rights protected by the Charter.
“NSIRA is concerned that (the unit) has not considered their legal authorities sufficiently to determine whether they have reasonable legal authority to conduct warrantless searches for (counterintelligence) purposes,” the report reads.
The independent review body’s latest report followed one from 2022, which warned that the unit may not be able to withstand the “active counter-intelligence threat” of white supremacy in the CAF.
The unit, created in 1997, is responsible for gathering intelligence about serious threats to DND and CAF personnel and assets, including extremism, sabotage and organized crime. But 10 separate internal reports since the unit was established have raised concerns about resources and policy constraints, raising doubts about their ability to carry out the job.
DND employees and CAF members are allowed to use work devices for a limited number of personal tasks, such as shopping, communicating with friends and family, and reading the news. NSIRA noted that those activities “can produce revealing and meaningful private information” protected under the privacy provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
When asked whether the warrantless searches violated members’ privacy rights, a DND spokesperson said they were “consulting with legal counsel throughout the investigation process and have strengthened governance mechanisms.”
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
