The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Ann Cavoukian, has launched a website, www.realprivacy.ca, to raise awareness of the implications of the federal "lawful access" bill.

According to a press release from the Commissioner's office: "The expected re-introduction of federal 'lawful access' bills in Parliament, if passed in their original form, would provide police with much greater ability to access and track information about identifiable individuals via the communications technologies that we use every day, such as the Internet, smart phones, and other mobile devices, at times, without a warrant or any judicial authorization."

"I consider this to be such a serious issue that I have organized a public symposium and launched a new website, www.realprivacy.ca, to broaden awareness and educate Canadians, in an effort to improve the legislation before it is re-introduced," said Cavoukian.

The website includes:

• Background information on proposed lawful access legislation such as relevant media articles, key letters, and editorials;
• Proposed solutions on how the federal government can improve the legislation to respect privacy while also enhancing security; and
• A new Write My MP tool by which individuals can share their concerns with their Member of Parliament.

To discuss the implications of the proposed bills, the Commissioner's office will hold a symposium on Friday, Jan. 27, from 9:00am to 11:00am ET at the MaRS Discovery Centre in downtown Toronto.