Ottawa ‘concerned’ Netsweeper is used to censor web
Internet watchdog says tech produced in Waterloo is used by oppressive regimes to block access to LGBTI content
WATERLOO — Global Affairs Canada is concerned about reports that internet filtering technology developed by Waterloobased Netsweeper Inc. is used by oppressive governments to prevent access to websites with LGBTI content.
“Canada condemns all forms of violence against LGBTI persons, including in digital contexts,” John Babcock, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said in an email.
“Discrimination and violence against LGTBI persons in the digital context constitutes an attack on their human rights, including the right to non-discrimination, freedom of expression and privacy.”
Citizen Lab, a University of Toronto-based internet watchdog, issued a report earlier this year that detailed how Netsweeper technology is used to prevent access to websites with LGBTIrelated content by several authoritarian governments overseas.
As Canada was hosting an international conference earlier this week dedicated to protecting and enhancing LGBTI rights around the world, Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert repeated his calls for tighter controls around the export of such technology.
When Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked for comment, Babcock responded with an email saying: “Canada is concerned by allegations of the misuse of Canadian-made technology, including reports of its use in inappropriately preventing free access to the internet.”
He added Canada is committed to controlling the export of such technology, and will continue to engage with international partners to review and control it. Deibert is not impressed. “Why does the Canadian government need to consult with its international partners instead of taking action now, domestically, and implementing some kind of regulation around the export of this technology?” said Deibert.
The federal government’s actions on human rights lack consistency, he said, noting how Freeland sparked a diplomatic brouhaha with Saudi Arabia after she took to social media to protest the Arab country’s detention of human rights activists.
“The criticism of Saudi Arabia on women’s rights is encouraging,” said Deibert. “How can Canada at the same time justify supporting a Canadian company whose technology is helping facilitate human rights violations abroad?”
The Vancouver conference, which ended Aug. 7, was called Leaving No One Behind: The Equal Rights Coalition Global Conference on LGBTI Human Rights and Inclusive Development. The coalition includes 39 countries, and Canada is a cochair of the international organization.
“The promotion and protection of human rights and democracy is a priority for our government,” Babcock said in his email. “We strongly support democracy and the right to freedom of expression, including an open internet. Canada believes that all individuals, including LGBTI persons, should be able to harness the positive potential digital technologies have to offer.”
Deibert said Ottawa’s position lacks consistency. Citizen Lab found that Netsweeper technology is being used to block access in 10 countries to a wide range of digital content protected by international agreements, including religious content in Bahrain, political campaigns in the United Arab Emirates and media websites in Yemen, says the Citizen Lab report called Planet Netsweeper. Citizen Lab studied the use of Netsweeper technology in Afghanistan, Bahrain, India, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
“We identified a pattern of mischaracterization and/or overt blocking involving the use of Netsweeper’s systems that may have serious human rights implications, including blocking Google searches for keywords related to LGBTQ identities,” says the watchdog’s report.
“The international deployment of this Canadian-made filtering technology raises a number of human rights, corporate social responsibility and public policy concerns and questions,” says the report. “These questions include whether and to what degree Netsweeper undertakes due diligence with respect to sales of its technology to jurisdictions with problematic rights records, and whether the Canadian government should be assisting Netsweeper, financially or otherwise, when its systems are used in a manner that negatively impacts internationally recognized human rights.”
Netsweeper has not responded to requests for comment.
“How can Canada ... justify supporting a Canadian company whose technology is helping facilitate human rights violations abroad?”
RON DEIBERT
Director, Citizen Lab