Privacy czar sounds alarm on drones patrolling U.S. border - The Globe and Mail
ith the so-called “Three Amigos” meeting in Washington, Ottawa’s privacy czar is expressing fears that unmanned aircraft could soon be peering down onto all three countries in North America.
“I think Canadians should be concerned about the increasing use of drones,” Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart told The Globe and Mail in an interview Monday.
“… It's another technology that has the potential to be very privacy invasive. These drones could be going back and forth across the border and no one would notice.”
Ms. Stoddart made the remarks as she and her 13 counterparts in Canada's provinces and territories released a joint statement urging the Conservative government to be more mindful of privacy rights as Ottawa and Washington firm up the language of the Beyond Borders agreement.
“I think this is really one of the big new implications in enhanced border security – the constant surveillance of our borders by drones or other unmanned vehicles,” Ms. Stoddart added.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who met Monday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House, announced the Beyond the Border plan last December. Now, officials in Ottawa and Washington are hoping to hammer out the fine-print details – including language on privacy-protection principles – by the end of May.
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