Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree tabled a revised border-security bill on Thursday.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Ottawa unveiled its revised border-security bill Thursday, addressing criticism of the original proposed legislation by limiting the scope of police forces and the spy service to demand information about the services Canadians use without a warrant.
The bill introduced by Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, however, would make it easier for authorities to investigate online activities by requiring internet and phone companies to tell authorities whether they provide service to a particular person or account number.
It would also allow authorities to obtain subscriber information from telecommunications companies, such as names, addresses, phone numbers and services provided.
The bill was revised after an outcry that the original one would have given the police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service the ability to demand without a warrant information about whether people have used a range of services, including doctors, hotels and car rentals.
It also proposes a new authority to allow Canadian police to make requests to foreign electronic service providers, including social media and AI chatbot companies.
The government says police and CSIS need these tools to investigate national-security threats and organized crime, and that existing laws have not kept pace with changes in technology.
With a report from The Canadian Press