Brazil’s spy allegations raise call for oversight

Electronic spy agency criticized for secrecy

As canadian officials worked Tuesday to smooth things over with their brazilian counterparts after embarrassing claims of spying, there were growing calls for greater transparency in the secretive agency at the heart of the controversy.

Some experts said more oversight of communications Security establishment canada (cSec) is needed, especially if its targets have broadened to reflect not only national security interests but national economic and commercial interests.

ray boisvert, former assistant director at the canadian Security Intelligence Service, said he remains skeptical of brazil’s charges of economic espionage, but there has been growing pressure on canada to spy on “friendly nations.”

“They’re doing it to us. Should we do it to them? There’s been a lot of discussion,” he said.

If canada did, indeed, spy on brazil for some kind of economic gain, that would warrant greater oversight, Mr. boisvert said.

“It is probably time to take a look at it again, time for greater transparency.”

John Adams, the former cSec chief, also called for

They’re doing it to us. Should we

do it to them?

greater parliamentary scrutiny of the agency, which reports to the defence minister.

“There’s no question that cSec is very, very biased toward the less the public knows the better, and in fact it seems to have worked, because you very seldom see them on the front page of the newspapers,” he told the cbc.

Julie di Mambro, a spokeswoman for defence Minister rob Nicholson, said in an email robert decary, a former federal appeals court judge, “already provides independent oversight, including independent audits, in order to ensure that cSec’s activities remain within the law.”

but pressure continued to grow on the conservative government to answer allegations cSec targeted the metadata of phone calls and emails at the brazilian ministry of mines and energy. (Metadata can identify who is called, by whom, when and from where, and map out communication patterns, but do not include any content.)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper refused to speculate on how the allegations could affect canada’s relationship with brazil.

“canadian officials are reaching out very pro-actively” to their counterparts in brazil, he said at the end of the AsiaPacific leaders summit in bali, Indonesia.

“The news regarding the activities of this agency concerns me a lot” and the government would conduct “appropriate followup.”

The dispute was touched off by documents given the brazilian TV network Globo by edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor.