cover image: Statement of Ronald J Deibert - Revised October 16

20.500.12592/dvsgtk

Statement of Ronald J Deibert - Revised October 16

16 Oct 2021

In the fourth section, I explain the chilling effects that a broad interpretation of section 342.1 of the Criminal Code and/or of subsection 16(2) of the Security of Information Act (“SOIA”) could have on the Citizen Lab’s scholarship and on related initiatives. [...] I also have served on the advisory boards of Access Now, Privacy International, the technical advisory groups of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and am currently a member of the advisory boards of PEN Canada and the Design4Democracy Coalition, as well as the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy. [...] It would also allow any number of private actors to accuse the Citizen Lab of a criminal offence or discredit the organization on the basis of dubious allegations of contractual breach in order to prevent the organization from doing its important work. [...] 25 Prejudice to the safety or interest of the State 3 (1) For the purposes of this Act, a purpose is prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State if a person (a) commits, in Canada, an offence against the laws of Canada or a province that is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of two years or more in order to advance a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause. [...] While the organization anticipates a certain degree of risk arising from foreign actors and the private sector, the threat of criminal sanction from our own government would raise distinct and serious concerns for academic freedom, freedom of the press, and research in the public interest.
Pages
15
Published in
Canada