BOOM!!! Canada’s Public Health Agency Secretly Tracked 33 Million Phones During Lockdown, Sparking Massive Privacy Concerns
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Canada’s Public Health Agency quietly tracked 33 million phones during lockdown, sparking intense privacy concerns and pushing Canada into a new era of government surveillance without direct public consent.
In a jaw-dropping revelation, Canada’s Public Health Agency (PHAC) admitted to tracking the movements of 33 million Canadians through cell-tower data during COVID-19 lockdowns. This unprecedented surveillance measure, executed without direct public consent, is drawing fierce scrutiny from privacy advocates and sparking critical concerns about Canada’s future in digital privacy and personal freedom.
A Shocking Admission of Mass Surveillance
Canada’s Public Health Agency’s recent admission that it tracked 33 million mobile devices during lockdown has shocked Canadians and privacy advocates alike. For the better part of 2020, nearly every adult citizen’s movements were silently logged via cell-tower data—right under the public’s nose. This Orwellian-sounding measure was explained away by the agency as a necessary public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But questions immediately arose: How far can a government go in monitoring its citizens under the guise of “public safety”? And, more chillingly, what are the long-term implications of normalizing such large-scale surveillance?
Data Collection During COVID-19: The Public Health Agency’s Justification
According to a spokesperson for PHAC, the pandemic created an “urgent need” for enhanced public health tools to monitor the efficacy of lockdowns and the spread of COVID-19. To this end, the Agency accessed vast amounts of mobile data—information sourced from cell towers that logged the locations of individual devices across the country. PHAC argued that this data, which was aggregated and “de-identified,” helped track patterns of human movement, showing where people were adhering to lockdowns or potentially spreading the virus. This explanation may sound benign at first glance, but critics argue it’s a slippery slope.
How Telus Data For Good Program Facilitated Nationwide Tracking
In March 2021, PHAC awarded a contract to Telus’s Data For Good program, a company initiative designed to support social causes through data. Under this contract, Telus provided PHAC with detailed, “de-identified” data, allowing the agency to track movement trends across Canada. But this contract, which expired in October 2021, raises significant questions about the ethical boundaries of corporate involvement in government surveillance. With a for-profit telecom company as the data provider, privacy advocates worry about data security and the potential for re-identification of individuals.
Moving Beyond COVID-19: Surveillance to Become a New Public Health Tool?
As Canada’s Public Health Agency considers renewing its tracking program for another five years, public scrutiny grows. PHAC stated that similar methods would help manage other health crises, including chronic diseases and mental health issues. This suggests a paradigm shift, where public health surveillance becomes part of daily life. The notion that this kind of tracking may extend far beyond COVID-19 has privacy advocates, like David Lyon of Queen’s University’s Surveillance Studies Centre, deeply concerned. Lyon warns that what may appear to be benign public health measures today could morph into an ongoing invasion of privacy.
The Privacy Concerns: What PHAC Isn’t Telling Canadians
Privacy advocates question the extent of PHAC’s surveillance efforts and whether the agency was fully transparent with Canadians. While PHAC insists that no personal information was collected, experts like David Lyon point out that the term “de-identified data” can be misleading. Data scientists have shown that “de-identified” information can often be re-identified by cross-referencing it with other datasets, effectively undoing privacy protections. Lyon notes that government agencies commonly use comforting language similar to that of security agencies, which often obscures the true risk of data re-identification.
Potential Equity Implications of Mass Public Health Surveillance
Martin French, an expert in surveillance and social justice, highlights another dimension to PHAC’s program: the potential inequities it may impose on certain populations. According to French, marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by increased surveillance, often bearing the brunt of intensified tracking. This intensification could lead to negative consequences, such as discrimination or profiling, which would exacerbate social inequities. In the case of COVID-19 data collection, French argues that some communities may experience harm rather than benefit, despite the agency’s assurances.
Has the Pandemic Opened the Door to a “New Normal” of Surveillance?
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably changed the way governments interact with citizens’ personal data, creating what Lyon describes as a “massive surveillance surge.” Lyon warns that the intense monitoring that began as a pandemic measure is likely here to stay, given that it has paved the way for a new standard of surveillance in the name of public safety. Comparatively, Lyon says the post-9/11 surveillance surge is overshadowed by what’s happening now. Today’s digital tools make it easier for governments to track nearly every movement of individuals with unprecedented precision, and without direct consent.
PHAC’s Call for Contractors: Extending Surveillance into the Future
Just this week, PHAC posted a notice calling for contractors capable of providing cell-tower data going back to January 2019, suggesting that Canada’s surveillance apparatus may not be slowing down anytime soon. The notice allows for up to three one-year extensions, giving the agency a potential timeline extending well beyond 2023. This bold move hints at PHAC’s long-term strategy to normalize population tracking and raises alarm bells for privacy advocates, who argue that Canadians deserve transparency about the data the government collects on their everyday activities.
A Privacy Commissioner Inquiry: A Sign of Hope for Canadians?
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has taken note of the public’s outcry and is reportedly investigating PHAC’s program. However, details are sparse, and no official stance has been taken. For Canadians hoping for greater clarity, the Privacy Commissioner’s inquiry is a glimmer of hope but far from a guarantee of action. In the meantime, PHAC’s data-tracking program remains a stark reminder of the power of government surveillance and the limited legal frameworks protecting citizens’ rights in the digital age.
COVID Trends Portal: The Quiet Face of Canada’s New Surveillance Regime
Beyond the tracking, the data collected from Canadians has also been used to fuel the COVID Trends portal, a dashboard designed to inform public health officials about movement trends in real time. This portal, touted as a public service tool, could easily become the face of Canada’s surveillance infrastructure. Though PHAC emphasizes that the portal helps improve health messaging and policy planning, many Canadians are uncomfortable knowing their anonymized location data is being utilized in a system that lacks robust oversight or transparency.
What Do These Revelations Mean for the Future of Privacy in Canada?
The long-term implications of PHAC’s data-tracking efforts remain uncertain, but the revelations are undoubtedly a watershed moment in Canadian privacy discourse. As Canada continues to adapt to the “new normal” of surveillance, it becomes imperative to question how far the government should go in the name of public health. Will future health crises lead to further invasions of privacy? Will the concept of consent fade into obsolescence as government agencies continue to expand their reach into citizens’ personal lives?
Final Thoughts: Canadians Deserve Answers and Accountability
The question of public safety vs. personal privacy is not new, but Canada’s recent revelations push the issue into new territory. As citizens begin to grasp the scope of PHAC’s surveillance program, a demand for transparency and accountability grows louder. Canadians deserve to know how their data is being used, and they deserve the right to opt-out of invasive tracking measures. More importantly, Canadians need assurance that the institutions meant to protect them are not eroding their freedoms under the guise of public health.
The stakes could not be higher. In a time when technology allows for nearly invisible surveillance, Canadians must be vigilant in defending their privacy rights. The shocking scale of PHAC’s monitoring program serves as a stark reminder of the need for strict limits on government power in the digital age.
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I’m a 33-year-old writer from Houston, Texas, and the founder of World Reports Today. Driven by a deep love for my country and the timeless values of democracy and freedom of speech, I use my platform and my writing to amplify the voices of those who cherish these ideals and to spark meaningful conversations about the issues that truly matter.
