By Canadian Press

Mounties defend social-media profiling after assembling portrait of activist

Jan 2, 2020 | 1:20 PM

OTTAWA — The RCMP is defending its practice of profiling people by scouring their online social-media presences, saying the national police force lawfully obtains information with the aim of protecting Canadians.

A Toronto activist concerned about mining-industry abuses recently learned the Mounties compiled a six-page profile of her shortly after she showed up at a federal leaders debate during the 2015 election campaign.

An analyst with the RCMP’s Tactical Internet Intelligence Unit ultimately found no indication that Rachel Small, an organizer with the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, was involved in criminal activity.

Small says it was “kind of creepy and unsettling” to see the RCMP profile, which came to light years later through an access-to-information request. 

Sgt. Penny Hermann, an RCMP spokeswoman, says the force acknowledges the constitutional right to protest peacefully, but adds the police must do due diligence to ensure there are no threats or concerns for public safety.

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Civil-liberties advocates say there should be more robust legal protection to ensure privacy is not unduly compromised by such profiling.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2020.

The Canadian Press