10/20/2026
Bill C-22: Lawful Access Threatens Your Privacy and Security
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is sounding the alarm on the proposed government surveillance law — Bill C-22! If passed, Bill C-22 would put everyone's privacy and online security at risk.
Bill C-22 raises the following concerns:
Surveillance by design: The bill lets the government order any digital service–your messaging apps, smart home devices, your laptop or your phone–to build surveillance tools into their products without judicial authorization.
Relentless tracking: Companies could be forced to track every single person’s location, who they interacted with, and what apps they use, and keep it all for up to 6 months.
Lacking oversight and accountability: No judicial authorization is required, and these obligations can be imposed in secret.
Disproportionate harm: The bill lets the government weaken the security of everyday technology that all of us depend on to make surveillance easier.
Your data, shared across borders: If passed, Canada could adopt international agreements that will require it to share your information with governments that are abusing information-sharing tools to crack down on political dissent around the world.
What you can do:
Read CCLA and Citizen Lab’s joint analysis of Bill C-22 here, share this alert with your networks, and sign our petition below.
For more information about the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and our work to protect your privacy and keep your personal data safe click here.
Bill C-22, the federal government’s “lawful access” bill, would give police and spy agencies sweeping new ways to reach into the digital tools people in Canada use every day. It passed the House of Commons in June after the government cut off debate at committee, leaving more than 100 proposed...
