RCMP use of private-sector surveillance services worries federal privacy watchdog

OTTAWA — A federal watchdog is urging the RCMP to do a better job of assessing the privacy implications of commercial surveillance and monitoring services before using them.

In a report presented to Parliament today, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne also recommends the Mounties be more transparent with Canadians about their collection of personal information from open-source intelligence gathering.

Dufresne investigated the RCMP’s Project Wide Awake, which uses third-party services to collect personal information from sources including social media, the darker reaches of the internet, location-based applications and fee-for-access databases.

The report says the RCMP uses the data to probe possible crimes, locate missing persons, identify suspects, detect threats at public events and ensure awareness during an unfolding scenario.

Dufresne expressed particular concerns about the RCMP’s contract with U.S. company Babel Street for its Babel X service.

The report says the Mounties did not properly verify that the personal information given to the RCMP by Babel X and its data providers was collected in compliance with Canadian privacy laws.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press