Abstract
Periodic revelations about the workings of data interception, analysis and collection in Canada have each time prompted successive administrations to amend laws and regulations in order to calm public opinion. This has been referred to as “accountability through scandal” and has, for the most part, produced cosmetic changes rather than significant reform. Most of the practices and the ethos of the organizations have remained the same, setting the stage for the next scandal. This paper reviews the last scandal to befall the Canadian Security Establishment, caused by the Snowden revelations, and the subsequent political response. Approached with part of Foucault’s toolbox it becomes clear that the business of the state and state security requires a particular form of “management of illegalisms,” or differential treatment of rule-breaking, at the higher echelons of state power.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Due to a temporary change in its name to ‘Communications Security Establishment Canada,’ some quotes in the following text bear the acronym “CSEC”.
Also at play are the extreme complexity of modern SIGINT methodologies and, in part as a consequence of this complexity, the general indifference of the public.
References
Bauman, Z., Bigo, D., Esteves, P., Guild, E., Jabri, V., Lyon, D., et al. (2014). After snowden: Rethinking the impact of surveillance. International Political Sociology, 8, 121–144.
Brodeur, J.-P. (2007). High and low policing in post-9/11 times. Policing, 1(1), 23–37.
Canada. (2013). House of Commons debates. Volume 146. Number 267. 1st session. 41st Parliament. Tuesday, June 11, 2013.
Canada. (2014a). House of Commons debates. Volume 147. Number 039. 2nd session. 41st Parliament. Friday, January 31st, 2014.
Canada. (2014b). House of Commons debates. Volume 147. Number 041. 2nd session. 41st Parliament. Tuesday, February 4, 2014.
Canada. (2014c). House of Commons debates. Volume 147. Number 082. 2nd Session. 41st Parliament. Wednesday, May 7, 2014.
Canada. (2014d). Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on national security and defence issue 2—Evidence—Meeting of February 3, 2014.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. (2014). CSEC used airport Wi-Fi to track Canadian travellers: Snowden documents. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-used-airport-wi-fi-to-track-canadian-travellers-edward-snowden-documents-1.2517881. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Communications Security Establishment. (2014). CSE statement Re: January 30 CBC story. http://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/home-accueil/media/media-2014-01-30-eng.html. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Deleuze, G. (1986). Foucault. Paris: Éditions de Minuit.
Fischer, N., & Spire, A. (2009). L’État face aux illégalismes. Politix, 2009(87), 7–20.
Forcese, C. (2016). Secret law and Canadian National security. http://craigforcese.squarespace.com/national-security-law-blog/2016/10/26/secret-law-and-canadian-national-security.html. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Foucault, M. (1975). Surveiller et punir. Paris: Gallimard (1993).
Freeze, C. (2013). Data-collection program got green light from MacKay in 2011. The Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/data-collection-program-got-green-light-from-mackay-in-2011/article12444909/. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Galbraith, W. (2014). Remarks by J., Executive Director, Office of the CSE Commissioner. In Security and privacy conference, panel: Intelligence vs privacy: A false dichotomy? Victoria (B.C.). Friday, February 7, 2014 https://www.rebootcommunications.com/events/privsec2014/. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Herman, M. (1996). Intelligence power in peace and war. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Huffpost. (2013). Most Canadians see Edward Snowden as a hero, poll suggests. Huffington Post Canada. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/10/30/edward-snowden-poll-canadians_n_4175900.html. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Kramer, R., Michalowski, R., & Kauzlarich, D. (2002). The origins and development of the concept and theory of state-corporate crime. Crime and Delinquency, 48(2), 263–282.
Leman-Langlois, S., & Lemieux, F. (Eds.). (2007). Renseignement de sécurité et renseignement criminel. Traité de sécurité intérieure (pp. 335–352). Montréal: Hurtubise HMH.
Michalowski, R., & Kramer, R. (Eds.). (2016). State-corporate crime: Wrongdoing at the intersection of business and government. New Brunswick (NJ): Rutgers University Press.
National Defence Act, Revised Statutes of Canada (1985, c. N-5). http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-5/. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner. (2014a). Statement by CSE Commissioner the Honourable Jean-Pierre Plouffe re: January 30 CBC story. http://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/media/pr/2014-01-31_e.php. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner. (2014b). Annual report 2012–2013. Canada, Minister of Public Works and Government Services.
Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner. (2016). Annual report 2014–2015. Canada, Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. (2014). Response from the independent counsel for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association regarding information requests from government authorities. https://www.priv.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2014/let_140430_e.asp. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Pew Research. (2015). What Americans think about NSA surveillance, national security and privacy. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/29/what-americans-think-about-nsa-surveillance-national-security-and-privacy/. Accessed 30 August 2018.
ProPublica. (2014). Spy agencies probe angry birds and other apps for personal data. http://www.propublica.org/article/spy-agencies-probe-angry-birds-and-other-apps-for-personal-data. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Reigeluth, T. (2014). Why data is not enough: Digital traces as control of self and self-control. Surveillance and Society 12(2). http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/enough. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Robinson, W. (2014). Analyzing the ‘airport Wi-fi’ Map. Lux ex Umbra. http://luxexumbra.blogspot.ca/2014/08/analyzing-airport-wi-fi-map.html. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Schneier, B. (2014). Why the NSA’s defense of mass data collection makes no sense, The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/why-the-nsas-defense-of-mass-data-collection-makes-no-sense/280715/. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Simon, D. (2007). Elite deviance (9th ed.). Toronto: Pearson.
Tombs, S., & Whyte, D. (2003). Unmasking the crimes of the powerful. Critical Criminology, 2002, 217–236.
Travers, R. (1997). The coming intelligence failure. Central Intelligence Agency, Washington DC Center for the Study of Intelligence. http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a527323.pdf. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Walby, K., & Seantel, A. (2012). Communications security establishment (CSE), structures of secrecy, and ministerial authorization after September 11. Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 27(3), 365–380.
Weston, G. (2013). The wish and prayer of keeping tabs on CSE. CBC News. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-watchdog-muzzled-defanged-greg-weston-1.2462279. Accessed 30 August 2018.
Whitaker, R., Kealy, G., & Parnaby, A. (2012). Secret service: Political policing in Canada from the fenians to fortress America. Toronto: UofT Press.
X (Re). (2013) FC 1275. Redacted Amended Further Reasons for Order in the Matter of an Application by [Xxxxx Xxxxxx] for a Warrant Pursuant to Sections 12 and 21 of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, R.s.c. 1985, C. C-23.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The author would like to thank the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canada Research Chairs program for their financial support of this research.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leman-Langlois, S. State Mass Spying as Illegalism. Crit Crim 26, 545–561 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-018-9421-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-018-9421-z