Spies from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communication Security Establishment of Canada lied to a judge in order to obtain a warrant to spy on Canadians while they were abroad. The warrants they obtained allowed them to spy on these Canadians; but they deliberately misinterpreted the law and asked other countries’ intelligence services to conduct the spying for them — something forbidden under Canadian law. The judge is not impressed.
“CSIS and CSEC officials are relying on that interpretation at their peril and … incurring the risk that targets may be detained or otherwise harmed as a result of the use of the intercepted communications by the foreign agencies,” [Judge Richard] Mosley wrote.
“[The law] does not authorize the service and CSEC to incur that risk or shield them from liability…”
“…This was a breach of the duty of candour owed by the service and their legal advisers to the court,” he said.
“It has led to misstatements in the public record about the scope of the authority granted the service.”
CSIS slammed for end-running law to snoop on Canadians abroad
[The Canadian Press]
(via /.)
(Image: LIE, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from ktylerconk’s photostream)