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Canada's CSEC defends spying through Wi-Fi

Iran Press TV

Tue Feb 4, 2014 9:54AM GMT

The Canadian intelligence agency has defended spying through the wireless internet service at a major airport, claiming it would not be able to locate its targets without the technology.

The chief of the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) John Forster claimed the agency's collection of metadata is fundamental to pick out "foreign terrorists" "in a sea of billion[s] and billions of communications traversing the globe."

Appearing before the Senate national defence committee, he denied breaching the privacy of Canadians, saying only foreigners have been targeted.

Forster's remarks come after a top-secret document, retrieved by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, revealed earlier last week that the agency tracked the wireless devices of thousands of passengers by using information gleaned from the free internet service at an unnamed major Canadian airport.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that the data was collected from the passengers' smart-phones and laptops over a two-week period and that the devices were tracked for a week or longer afterwards.

The CBS said the technology was to be shared with the so-called "Five Eyes" spy partnership, namely the US, Canada, Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

Ontario privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian, however, said she was "blown away" by the revelations. She also likened the country's spy agency to that of a "totalitarian state, not a free and open society."

Ronald Deibert, the director of the Canada Centre for Global Security Studies, also said the CSEC's secret operation was almost certainly illegal.

It was also recently revealed that Canada has set up cover spying posts around the world and spied on trading partners at the request of the US National Security Agency (NSA).

Reports published in Canadian media and based on the leaks have shown that Canada allowed the NSA to conduct surveillance operations on its soil during the 2010 summits of G8 and G20.

Other reports have shown that the Canadian intelligence agency spied on communications at Brazil's Mining and Energy Ministry, as it has mining interests in the South American country.

MOS/HJL