2012-2013 Annual Report of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner

The most recent Report of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner, the Honourable Robert Décary, Q.C., was tabled in Parliament yesterday.

The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is Canada's national cryptologic agency working under the control of the Department of National Defence. Its code-breakers protect the Government of Canada's IT infrastructure from hostile attacks and provide foreign signals intelligence services, including the interception, decoding, and analysis of phone calls, e-mails and other electronic communications of Canada's international adversaries. It also provides technical and operational assistance to federal law enforcement and security agencies.

The Commissioner is the official watchdog over the agency's activities.

The news media concentrated on Décary's finding that the CSE may have been intercepting communications from Canadians. The CSE is legally prohibited from eavesdropping on Canadians. The Commissioner was unable to draw any definitive conclusions.

Media coverage includes:

• Watchdog says spy agency might have illegally eavesdropped on Canadians (Globe and Mail, August 22, 2013)
• Canadians may be victims of illicit spying (Ottawa Citizen / Postmedia News, August 22, 2013)
• Security watchdog says agency may be spying on Canadians (CBC / Canadian Press, August 22, 2013)
• Watchdog raises flags on Canada’s eavesdropping (Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2013)
• In wake of spying allegations, Communications Security Establishment Canada insists it didn’t break law (Canada.com, August 22, 2013)
• Espionnage de Canadiens: le NPD veut des détails (La Presse, 22 August 2013)