Anti-cyberbullying bill could have negative impact on Vancouver’s tech sector: watchdog
Posted August 12, 2014 12:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver’s tech sector could take a hit if the federal government passes an anti-cyberbullying bill into law, according to an Internet watchdog.
David Christopher with Open Media says as it stands, the local tech sector benefits from Canadian law, which adequately protects privacy.
“What we could see happen here, unfortunately is something like what happened in the US after the [Edward] Snowden revelations first came out last year,” he tells us. “I think that’s definitely something the government has got to take into account.”
But he says if Bill C-13 passes, some international companies would consider doing business elsewhere.
“There is a real economic cost to this online spying bill,” he explains. “It’s a cost that’s predictably worrisome, given how important the tech sector is as part of the local economy is here in Vancouver.”
Bill C-13 proposes giving police and other government agencies the power to access private online information without a warrant.
