Liberal cybersecurity bill a ‘bad law’ that must be amended, research report warnsOTTAWA — A new research report says federal cybersecurity legislation is so flawed it would allow authoritarian governments around the world to justify their own repressive laws. Under Bill C-26, key enterprises in the banking and telecommunications industries would be required to improve cybersecurity and report digital attacks, or possibly face penalties. The bill proposes giving authorities the ability to enforce measures through audit powers and fines, and would allow for criminal penalties in cases of non-compliance. The report describes a scenario where the federal broadcast regulator could draft one set of public law through its decisions while "a kind of secret law" that unfolds through orders and regulations would actually guide telecommunications providers' cybersecurity behaviour. "If the government declines to meaningfully amend its legislation and make itself both more accountable and transparent to telecommunications providers and the public alike, it will have passed a bad law," the report says.

Source: CBC News October 18, 2022 15:18 UTC