Bill C-22, what it might mean for you

If you have concerns about privacy, it might be time to read up on what Bill C-22 means for Canadians.

Metadata is an important component of digital media, and is tracked seemlessly as you use your device.

While the bill generally seems well intended, it has two significant flaws: The first is that it goes against our existing digital bill in what you, as a Canadian, are entitled to doing with your data - Which is essentially who uses the data, what data is collected and used, and for what purpose. To keep it simple, do note that you are still being tracked via your metadata as we speak - with your own permission by way of clicking "I agree" to those terms and conditions we've all thoroughly read through before proceeding (*coughs*), as we do. But would ceding that right be good for most Canadians?

The second big departure is that there is some secrecy involved in the bill, that is scaring away companies like Nord VPN, and Windscribe. Now, if you're just an average Joe, checking his emails and sharing pictures of your dog on facebook, that might not be so important, but for a lot of people using these services, it's litteraly changing the game when it comes to privacy. These companies offer a service called "no-log VPN" - think of it as a way to be more stealthy when surfing the internet, by way of masking where the user is connecting from - "No-Log" means the VPN isn't keeping a log of who used what, when, meaning the law enforcement officers can't ask for that log down the road to correlate user X with internet visit Y.

It seems a little technical, but again, this is entirely legal, as NordVPN has been operating for years now, legally, internationally, and as a response to things like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but the rules are changing and it's now your civic duty to ask yourself if that change is good for you - or even, everyone of us, as Canadians, who are included in this question. Let's keep in mind that after all, tech giants are mostly american companies, rarely looking out for anything other than their own profit, and are sometimes willing to go way beyond the pale to get it (Facebook isn't know for it's charitable works, or being willing to be paying taxes in Canada, for that matter).

Know when to ask hard questions

Well, folks, it's time to reach out to your MP, and ask some hard questions about bill C-22 :

• Isn't metadata already a violation of privacy ? Keep in mind that this metadata tracks everything about you, from your weight and height to your address, revenue bracket, intimacy... Everything goes!

• Why should we allow Metadata to be an exception to our privacy laws by making them accessible before being suspected of any crime?

• Will your MP vote against bill C-22 unless it explicitly protects no-log VPN's? What about secret technical orders?

• What are the rules around Metadata?

In the end, look at it this way - the more power you keep, the more value it will gain. The more you cede those rights away to third-party corporations located in other countries, the more one may question why.

The busy lives of Canadians more and more relies on tech, smartphones, and the metadata it procudes, which has replaced oil as the most traded commodity at the stock market, since 2017.