"Lawful access" back on the radar screen

Michael Geist is reporting, in privacyinfo.ca, that the Canadian lawful access initiative is creeping back onto the government's agenda:

www.PrivacyInfo.ca:

"The Toronto Star today reports what has been an open secret for a couple of months now -- the Canadian government is moving forward with its lawful access agenda. For those new to the issue, lawful access would require network providers to establish new capabilities to allow for real-time network surveillance. Failure to do so is punishable by significant fines and jail time. The big issue for the ISPs revolves around cost, as in who should pay for this. Given the enormous privacy implications, one would hope that the government would make a case demonstrating a real need for these new powers, rather than just crossing items off a wish list."