Email/Internet Surveillance?! What?! When Canadian Mayor’s own Big Brother Security knobs SNOOP on her?! (What Mayor? HAZEL MCCALLION!)
February 7th, 2010
“eSNOOP’s a policy-house built in non-compliance sand.”
MISSISSAUGAWATCH to Mississauga Council (February 3, 2010)
You’ve heard those IDIOTS (and I used to be one) support government surveillance with the standby “If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear.” (or “worry about”, whatever…)
Check out Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion’s “Security” snooping down on her notes!
And this video of last Wednesday’s Lampoon-eSNOOP deputation.
Video: City of Mississauga ponders “eSNOOP” email/internet surveillance BIG BROTHER Policy (4:46 min)
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube)
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
MISSISSAUGA GENERAL COMMITTEE DEPUTATION February 3, 2010
Note, this is not the entire deputation but merely the take home message to City of Mississauga elected officials but especially senior staff and especially-especially to City Manager, Janice Baker. All statements can be backed up with Freedom of Information, videotape, audiotape (or in combination).
MISSISSAUGAWATCH:
The first time I ever wrote you was December 2006. Back then I begged you not a approve two Corporate Policies –the Corporation’s revised Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy and the new Video Surveillance Policy at that time.
You did anyway and who knows how many citizens, youth and minors have been screwed over by Staff and Security since.
Yes. Screwed over.
Here I am again, begging you not a approve Item 4, the electronic activity surveillance “Access to and Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy and Supporting Guidelines” which I immediately renamed the Corporate eSNOOP Policy —electronic snoop. Or eSNOOP.
Like the Violence, Vandalism, Bullying Policy, eSNOOP has to do with treatment of human beings. Like the Corporation’s Video Surveillance Policy, eSNOOP is about surveillance of human beings.
All three policies are about BIG BROTHER. And the Mississauga BIG BROTHER is an unaccountable bully who thrives in this Corporate environment.
I’ve told you that for years now.
And I want to describe “unaccountable” as “unable to be taken into account”.
Not only have Staff demonstrated that they are unaccountable, there’s considerable evidence that they are out of your control.
Think about it. If Knowledge is Power, you gave up your Power long ago (certainly before I began observing Council back in June 2006). Freedom of Information confirms that Staff manipulate you to a desired conclusion. And videotape shows how easy that sometimes is.
eSNOOP states under KEY ASPECT OF THE NEW POLICY:
“The Policy includes Guidelines for Acceptable Use of IT Resources which are intended to be an aid to IT Users in understanding the requirements of the Policy.”
Commissioner Breault, who signed eSNOOP knows full well that Guidelines are absolutely worthless in this City.
For example, she knows that Mississauga Corporate Security completely ignored the Province’s “Guidelines for Video Surveillance Cameras in Public Places” –with impunity.
When I detailed all the violations (and they continue to this day), Staff shrug and dismiss Ontario’s Information and Privacy video surveillance document as “only guidelines”.
How bad is the breach of privacy guidelines around here?
City Security even snoops on the Mayor’s notes through that Pelco PTZ video surveillance camera. And this isn’t me magnifying —this is actually a freeze-frame of video surveillance footage from that camera. And the original material, I’m able to follow along and read that.
Bad as that is, City of Mississauga Community Services out-ignored even Corporate Services when it comes to guidelines.
Community Services abandons guidelines altogether! For example, the City’s “Guidelines to Working with the Trespass Act” and its excellent youth/minor support framework were not just violated, but so abandoned that Ken Owen couldn’t tell me when or how the guidelines were abandoned –or who was responsible.
I can tell you this. I was the only one who noticed they were not in place!
Freedom of Information confirms that it’s not possible to care any less about municipal or provincial guidelines. Guidelines are worthless where Staff feel free to say, “Oh, they’re only guidelines.”
And as you know from Audit, it isn’t just guidelines that Staff ignore or abandon.
Now these are non-compliance.
- Video Surveillance Policy (The Corporation’s first SNOOP policy)
- Violence and Vandalism Policy (2000 to 2006)
- Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy (the existing current one)
- Corporate Security Code of Conduct
- Corporate Security Public Complaints Policy (if you can believe that)
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Vendor (and this comes from Audit) Performance Policy (assumed abandoned. Internal Audit could no trace of it.)
- Charging Interest to non-government organization Policy
- Infoplace Cash Collection Policy (cost the City over, what? —$700,000 plus)
Then then By-laws —the Records Retention By-law. That’s confirmed through Freedom of Information, and even Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act –both violated.
And elected officials are actually seriously considering granting this same Staff Power to eSNOOP?!
Signed,
The (and the comatose public is fussing and flapping because a few TTC workers snuck a snooze or a smoke?!) Mississauga Muse
Video: Suspect Nation HQ (Part 1/5) (9:29 min)
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube)
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