Canada, as far as we're aware isn't in China yet. So, it comes as something of a surprise to hear that its Conservative 'Public Safety minister' Peter Van Loan telling Canadian podcast, Search Engine' the following:
"We're not requiring ISPs to give out any personal information without a warrant, just your real name, your home address, your IP address, your home and cell number..."
So, nothing personal except all that personal stuff. But it gets worse. The minister states,
"The courts have ruled that this isn't private information. Canadians have no legitimate expectation of privacy when they use the Internet, not when it comes to your name, address, cell phone number, etc..."
True, all of this information would be on the public record. The phrase "no legitimate expectation of privacy" slipped in there, however, is slightly more worrying. When that kind of thing kicks off in a liberal democracy such as Canada... who is next?
Oh, they play video games over there.
Cheers to
BoingBoing.