Reasonableness as Proportionality: Towards a Better Constructive Interpretation of the Law on Searching Computers in Canada (original) (raw)

Electronic Devices at the Border: The Next Frontier of Canadian Search and Seizure Law?

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016

Over the last several years the Supreme Court of Canada has developed its jurisprudence regarding the search and seizure of electronic devices, applying section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in such a way as to assert and protect a significant amount of privacy in the devices and their data. Recent cases regarding the search of devices at Canada's borders, however, do not reflect this case law. This is a situation made all the more complex by the generally attenuated expectation of privacy in the border context, and is worthy of inquiry. Using a pending border case as a leaping-off point, this paper explores how section 8 should be applied to searches of electronic devices in the possession of people entering Canada, concluding that an appropriate analysis would impose more robust privacy protection than has been seen to date. It also examines the issue of whether individuals can be compelled to unlock devices or surrender passwords during border searches.

The Constitutionality of Warrantless Search and Seizure Operatio

Pretoria Student Law Review, 2020

This research will thus consider whether or not section 22 of CPA is inconsistent with the spirit, purport and object of the Constitution. To provide a brief overview of this paper; the introduction will illuminate the aim of the research followed by an examination of what constitutes ‘search’ and ‘seizure’ in terms of CPA. The paper will thereafter consider the existing jurisprudence on search and seizure operations and elucidate the manner in which search and seizure operations affect certain rights in the Bill of Rights. An examination of search and seizure operations under Canadian law will be conducted with the paper culminating in a conclusion containing recommendations regarding the enforcement of search and seizure operations.

DIGITAL SEARCHES, GENERAL WARRANTS, AND THE CASE FOR THE COURTS

2008

Translating Fourth Amendment rules designed to regulate searches and seizures of physical property into rules that regulate digital investigations raises numerous questions. This Note seeks to address one narrow subset of the issues digital evidence collection presents: the execution of computer searches conducted pursuant to warrants, and the threat of general searches-searches effectively unlimited in scope by the warrant they raise. Both courts and academics have called attention to this risk of general searches, and many have proposed solutions that seek to preserve the Fourth Amendment's traditional balance between individual privacy and government need. However, a single workable rule remains elusive. While the proposed solutions do not provide answers in every context, many of the rules do have merit in specific factual situations. At least while digital technology continues to change at a rapid pace, lower courts should be encouraged to develop a toolbox of rules to address the problem. Reviewing courts should take the lead, exploring the contours and boundaries of the problem and developing diferent tools in various factual contexts through the process of common law decision-making.

Searches and Seizures in the Digital Age—The Need For a Prior Independent Oversight Among International and European Standards

Revista de la Facultad de Derecho de México, 2023

The relentless march of technological progress has significantly streamlined the collection, transmission, and electronic storage of personal information, reshaping the landscape of searches and seizures of electronic devices. This digital evolution allows prosecuting authorities unprecedented access to vast volumes of information stored on computers, raising concerns about the potential misalignment between seized documents and suspected criminal activities. Emphasizing the importance of procedural guarantees for individuals impacted by digital searches and seizures measures, scholars have traditionally advocated for prior authorization from an independent authority. Still, the mere presence of prior authorization does not guarantee non-arbitrary implementation of those measures. Amidst this framework, international standards prefer prior judicial oversight, with “freedom from arbitrariness” test guiding competent authorities in scrutinizing relevant case facts. Conversely, the European legal framework, especially Article 8 ECHR, lacks clarity, risking the fundamental nature of the right to privacy by allowing intrusive measures without prior control.

Reasonable Expectations of Privacy in an Era of Drones and Deepfakes: Expanding the Supreme Court of Canada's Decision in R v Jarvis

The Emerald International Handbook of Technology Facilitated Violence and Abuse

Perpetrators of technology-facilitated gender-based violence are taking advantage of increasingly automated and sophisticated privacy-invasive tools to carry out their abuse. Whether this be monitoring movements through stalkerware, using drones to nonconsensually film or harass, or manipulating and distributing intimate images online such as deepfakes and creepshots, invasions of privacy have become a significant form of genderbased violence. Accordingly, our normative and legal concepts of privacy must evolve to counter the harms arising from this misuse of new technology. Canada's Supreme Court recently addressed technology-facilitated violations of privacy in the context of voyeurism in R v Jarvis (2019). The discussion of privacy in this decision appears to be a good first step toward a more equitable conceptualization of privacy protection. Building on existing privacy theories, this chapter examines what the reasoning in Jarvis might mean for "reasonable expectations of privacy" in other areas of law, and how this concept might be interpreted in response to gender-based technology-facilitated violence. The authors argue the courts in Canada and elsewhere must take the analysis in Jarvis further to fully realize a notion of privacy that protects the autonomy, dignity, and liberty of all.

R v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework MLJ 41(3) 2018

The " reasonable expectation of privacy " concept plays an important role in Canadian criminal and constitutional law, particularly in the context of s. 8 of the Charter. This article analyzes a recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision, R v Jarvis, which concerned the interpretation of a " reasonable expectation of privacy " in the context of voyeurism. In Jarvis, the Court of Appeal distinguished between a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contexts of voyeurism and s. 8, and declined to apply the " totality of the circumstances " approach. The author argues for the application of a single reasonable expectation of privacy framework—one which incorporates the robust and flexible " totality of the circumstances " approach—in both constitutional and non-constitutional contexts. Applying the totality of the circumstances approach guarantees that all relevant factors are considered when assessing the presence and degree of a reasonable expectation of privacy.

The Qualitative Dimension of Fourth Amendment "Reasonableness

Columbia Law Review, 1998

Supreme Court doctrine protects two seemingly distinct kinds of interests under the heading of privacy rights: one "substantive," the other "procedural." The Fourth Amendment guarantee against "unreasonable searches and seizures" has been generally interpreted to protect procedural privacy. Searches are typically defined as governmental inspections of activities and locations in which an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy from observation. In the typical case, this reasonable expectation of privacy may be breached only where the government has acquired a quantitatively substantial objective basis for believing that the search would uncover evidence of a crime. Substantive privacy rights have not normally been considered in this inquiry.

The constitutional validity of the search and seizure provisions in the fiscal laws and how they impact on the taxpayer's constitutional rights

2002

8 9 11 11 12 CHAPTER-2: CONSTITUTIONALITY 2.1 Pre-constitution information gathering powers 2.2 The power of the courts in respect constitutional issues 2.3 The Bill of Rights 2.4 The right to privacy in general 2.5 The right to just administrative action 2.5.1 Procedurally fair administrative action 2.6 The general limitation provision 2.7 Post constitution amendments to information gathering powers 2.7.1 Power of search & seizure in terms of s74D of the Act 2.7.2 Reasonable ground discretion 14 16 16 18 18 CHAPTER-3: CONSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS OF SEARCH AND SEIZURE 3.1 Discretion to allow search and seizure 3.2 Constitutional challenges to information gathering powers 27 3.3 Risk of constitutional infringement 3.4 The right to privacy 3.5 The right to privacy and search and seizure 3.6 The right to privacy and compulsory disclosure of information CHAPTER• 4:THE COURTS APPROACH ON SEARCH AND SEIZURE 4.1 How the courts interpret and apply the information gathering provisions 39 4.1.1 The issues pertaining to the search warrants 4.2 Comparative approach in other jurisdictions on search and seizure 4.3 The American Approach 4.3.1 Effect of the Fourth Amendment 4.3.2 The American Exclusionary Rule 4.4 The European Approach 4.4.1 The interests protected by Article 8 4.4.2 Justification for interference by the Authorities 4.5 The Search and seizure of Computer Data CHAPTER• 5: THE NATURE OF THE APPLICATION FOR SEARCH AND SEIZURE 5.1 Notice of application, nature of application and the right of appearance 5.1.1 Pro-Forma Warrant in terms of s74D of IT Act and 57D of VAT Act 5.1.2 Power of Attorney 5.2 Format of application 5.3 Pro-Forma notice of application 5.4 Affidavits-Disclosure of founding affidavit 5.4.1 Pro-Forma Founding Affidavit 73 5.5 Procedure during execution of warrant 5.6 Defective search warrant and remedies CHAPTER-6: SETIING ASIDE OF A SEARCH WARRANT 6.1 Application to have warrant set aside 6.2 Rights to privacy and property can't always stop a Revenue raid CHAPTER• 7: CONCLUSION 7.1 Conclusion 7.2 Can section 74D survive the constitutionality test BIBLIOGRAPHY 85