Village Gamer

Ottawa – The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has announced the launch of a new web site designed to open dialogue in regards to proposed Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). The site features a collection of essays by leading academics, lawyers, researchers, activists and industry professionals, and is designed to serve as a resource on Deep Packet Inspection. According to information on the site, it grew out of a desire at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to understand more about a technology that has application in network traffic management, behavioural advertising, and law enforcement.

“The prospective uses of DPI technology raise serious concerns about individual privacy,” said Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner of Canada. “DPI technology has the potential to give ISPs and other entities wide-ranging access to vast amounts of personal information sent over the Internet. Canadians spend a significant amount of their lives on online as consumers, professionals, and citizens. They are entitled to privacy protection pursuant to Canadian telecommunications policy, as set out in the Telecommunications Act, and under privacy laws of Canada. We respectfully submit that before DPI technology is employed, careful consideration should be given to what impact it may have on individual privacy.”

The CRTC will begin holding public consultations this coming July, in accordance with its Telecommunications Act mandate to specifically include contributing to the protection of the privacy of persons as a matter of Canadian telecommunications policy. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is mandated under legislation to to protect the privacy rights of individuals, foster public understanding of privacy, and promote the privacy protections available to Canadians, and to that end will be presenting a submission to the CRTC in regards to deep Packet inspection and its impact on Canadian citizens.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has designed the site specifically to build a dialogue with Canadians in respect to the deep packet inspection issue. There are opportunities for readers to leave their comments about each essay – either through a written comment or by voting on the essay. Each essay also has built in links to some of the more popular content sharing services, in case you think some or all of the essays should be brought to the attention of friends, colleagues, legislators or others.