Google says changes to Canada’s police search powers bill haven’t eased concerns

The Google logo outside a building housing Google offices in Beijing\. Photo by GREG BAKER /AFP via Getty Images

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Alphabet Inc.’s Google said Canada’s changes to a proposed law that would help police obtain citizen data from private companies don’t resolve many of its concerns.

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“We believe the government can support law enforcement without resorting to secret ministerial orders that put Canadians at risk,” a Google spokesperson said in an email, adding that the company would continue engaging on the issue.

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In a marathon session late Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals pushed through amendments to Bill C-22, known as the Lawful Access Act, in an effort to address heavy criticism from technology firms including Alphabet, Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.

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Major changes to the bill include explicitly stating it will not require decryption of encrypted information — an industry concern — and reducing the metadata retention period to six months, instead of one year. Google had recommended that metadata not be kept at all.

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Apple, Meta and Google had slammed the legislation during consultations last month, citing privacy and security issues. And in a May interview with the Globe and Mail newspaper, encrypted messaging app Signal threatened to pull out of Canada if the law forced them to compromise user privacy.

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The amendments made Wednesday improve clarity and address feedback raised during the consultation process, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement.

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Canadian VPN company Tailscale Inc. welcomed the changes, but said they didn’t go far enough. “C-22 can still pressure secure services to retain data they otherwise wouldn’t keep, and to build technical access systems they otherwise wouldn’t deploy,” Chief Executive Officer Avery Pennarun said in an email. “We oppose laws that make secure infrastructure harder to build.”

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Apple, Meta and Signal didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Canada is the only Group of Seven country without legislation requiring electronic service providers to maintain and develop lawful access capabilities, Carney has said. The government previously rejected claims that the law would enable surveillance of Canadians through everyday devices.

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The bill has been fast-tracked for Senate review in the fall.

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