In the U.S., the policy governing this careful weighing of stakes is known as the Vulnerabilities Equities Process, or VEP. CSE's policy is not public, and the agency declined to even give the policy's formal name, citing "operational specifics." "We would want the policy itself to be public and scrutinizable," says Brenda McPhail, privacy director for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA). An oversight body intended to oversee the government's security and intelligence agencies — including CSE — was proposed in June as part of the Liberal government's overhaul of the controversial anti-terror law Bill C-51. "We think of our national security agencies as people whose jobs is to keep us safe," said McPhail.

Source: CBC News September 06, 2017 09:00 UTC