Vancouver police voiced their support on Monday of the controversial Internet surveillance bill introduced in the House of Commons last week.
Bill C-30, also known as the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, would require Internet service providers to hand over customer information upon police request. Basic subscriber information, such as name, phone number, address, email address, IP address and the name of the service provider, will have to be given to the police even if they do not have a warrant.
Currently, service providers can provide the information to police voluntarily, but they are not obligated to do so.
The proposed legislation has sparked an outcry among Canadians who deem the bill a violation of their privacy.
However, Vancouver Police came out Monday saying that misinformation about the bill has fostered fearmongering among the public. Deputy Chief Warren Lemcke said Bill C-30 is necessary in combating crimes such as identity theft, organized crime, and child and sexual exploitation, and the legislation will include privacy safeguards.
"This bill does not allow police to monitor emails, phone calls or Internet surfing at will without a warrant, as has been implied or explicitly stated," said Lemcke, who also spoke on behalf of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
However, under "exigent circumstances," police can, for example, tap someone's phone line immediately without a warrant, and report it to a judge later, said Lemcke.
"If a kidnapping was to happen at this very moment and we had a phone number for one of the suspects, we could start tapping that phone right away," he said. "But as soon we do that, there are restrictions put in place in the Criminal Code about reporting it to a judge, about writing a warrant right away, about doing certain thing that hold us accountable."
Vancouver Police Union President and Canadian Association of Police President Tom Stamatakis said Bill C-30 gives law enforcement agencies the tools they need to combat criminals who use the Internet to evade apprehension.
"We've see many examples of that in the Lower Mainland, with the Bacon family and other groups using technology to their advantage, to engage in extensive distribution of illegal drugs and commit all kinds of murder in the Lower Mainland," he said. "This is an effective piece of legislation that will allow police to more quickly respond to those serious criminal activities."
After receiving considerable backlash about Bill C30, the government has said it will consider amendments to the legislation.
