How nice! The Harper govt. thinks certain stuff is too sensitive for our sensitivities.

The government  always tries to shield us!  It's all for our good!  Go back to sleep, dear people!  Let Big Brother take all our worries away by watching over us 24/7.  You have nothing to worry about anyway .... if you have done nothing wrong, right, right?!  Don't forget to wear clean underwear ... one never knows when Big Brother might decide to take a peek.  

Colin Freeze and Rita Trichur writing at TheGlobe&Mail:
....When wireless companies apply this week to bid on newly available public airwaves, they will also be committing – again – to an unpublicized accord that governs how they will help police and intelligence agencies monitor suspects.

For nearly two decades, Ottawa officials have told telecommunications companies that one of the conditions of obtaining a licence to use wireless spectrum is to provide government with the capability to monitor the devices that use the spectrum. The Sept. 17 kickoff of the auction-countdown process will underscore that commitment, made out of sight of most Canadians because it is deemed too sensitive by the government.

Documents show that court-approved surveillance in Canada is governed by 23 specific technical surveillance standards known as the Solicitor General’s Enforcement Standards (SGES).

Any firm taking part in a wireless auction can obtain a copy, but the contents are not available to the general public.

But The Globe and Mail has obtained past and current versions of the accord, which governs the way that mobile-phone companies help police pursue suspects by monitoring telecommunications – including eavesdropping, reading SMS texts, pinpointing users’ whereabouts, and even unscrambling some encrypted communications.

Wireless carriers are told they must be ready to hand over such data should police or intelligence agencies compel the release of the information through judicially authorized warrants. Such information goes well beyond traditional wiretaps, and also includes phone logs and keystrokes.

Police and intelligence officials say the surveillance is crucial, given that it can help them gather evidence, make arrests and locate missing persons....