Anonymity and the Internet in Canada
by Pat D.
What do you think of when someone tells you that your freedom of privacy and the right to remain anonymous on the Internet is slowly being taken from you piece by piece on a daily basis?
The first questions that come to my mind are: How can I protect my rights and what tools are available for me to exercise my ability to have an anonymous web experience?
In this article we will take a brief look at what laws are in danger of being passed through the Canadian House of Commons, along with measures you can take as an individual to enhance your anonymous Internet experience.
I believe that any Internet user should have the right to have a private and anonymous web experience. People should have a choice whether or not they want to share their information with others or have the ability to take on any online persona they wish.
The Harper government in Canada is going to table a massive crime bill in the near future. Included in this bill is lawful access legislation. These bills are previously known as bills C-50, C-51, and C-52. It is not known at this time whether or not they will try to slip in the Canadian DMCA (bill C-32) into this crime legislation as well.
If this crime bill passes in Canada, it is going to give law enforcement and government lawful access to your customer information from your Internet and cellular providers without a warrant. What this means is they are going to have the right to read your emails, see what you are downloading, read your text messages, gather GPS data from your cell phone in real-time, the list goes on and on...
What can you do to secure your digital anonymity right now?
There are several different practices you can use to help you have a relatively private and anonymous web experience in most situations. I will list a few examples that I find important for the everyday Internet user.
Turn on cookie notices in your web browser or use some type of cookie management software.
"Cookies" are small pieces of information that websites store on your computer temporarily.
In most cases, cookies are useful and help streamline your web experience. They may store passwords and user IDs so you don't have to keep retyping them every time you load a new page at the site that issued the cookie. Other cookies can be used for other purposes like your navigation through a website or the time you spend there. This information is usually gathered for marketing purposes. Most cookies can only be read by the people who created the original cookie.
Some companies that manage online banner advertising are just cookie sharing rings. They track what pages they load, what ads you click on, etc. They will share this information with their clients for marketing purposes as well.
To see how cookie-sharing works, have a look at: privacy.net/track
Use anonymous networking.
One of the easiest and free "anonymizer" networks to use is the Tor network. Tor will eliminate the ability to have your "traffic analyzed."
When someone can trace the source and destination of the information you are sending or looking for on the Internet, it allows them to start tracking what websites you like to visit, online games you like to play, videos you like to watch, the list can go on and on. What the Tor network does is send your requests and transactions over different places on the Internet, so no point can triangulate you to your intended destination.
Take your Stand!
The last and final thing you can do to protect your anonymity and privacy in the digital age is to stay informed and lobby the lawmakers.
Let them know that you are not happy with the changes they are trying to make in regards to your online privacy. Tell your friends, spread the word about these injustices, and take a stand! If everyone stays silent, they will give your digital liberties away.
This article was not intended for the advanced computer user.
This is just a brief outline on what the average person may not know about the changes the Canadian government is trying to make to their digital anonymity as well as a couple of brief steps on how to gain back some control.
For more information, please have a look at some great websites that cover the subject of digital privacy like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org) and The Pirate Party of Canada (pirateparty.ca) that cover topics from copyright laws, reform of the patent system, and privacy.
Sources
Pirate Party of Canada: Lawful Access: The Battle Isn't Over
Stanton McCandlish, EFF Technology Director: EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy