Canadians Split on Whether It's Acceptable for Governments to Monitor Email and Online Activities In Some Circumstances

Toronto, ON - Canadians are split on whether it is acceptable or not for governments to monitor email and other online activity in some circumstances, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. Specifically, one half (49%) of Canadians say that they find it `completely unacceptable' for `governments to monitor everyone's email and other online activities', while the other half of Canadians (51%) says it is either `acceptable in some circumstances' (47%), or `completely acceptable' (4%).

However, when monitoring is conducted under the auspices of preventing future terrorist attacks, tolerance and support for this kind of monitoring goes up. Just one in four (23%) would find it `completely unacceptable' for the Government of Canada to monitor everyone's email and other online activities if officials say this might prevent future terrorist attacks'. Conversely, 13% find this reasoning `completely acceptable', and while most (64%) believe it is `acceptable in some circumstances'.

Is Big Brother Already Watching?...

Just two in ten (18%) Canadians believe that their internet activity is confidential, while (61%) don't believe it is and 20% don't know. Moreover, two thirds (68%) `agree' (22% strongly/46% somewhat) that `as soon as someone conducts an online activity, such as sends an email, makes a purchase, plays a game or participates in social media, they should assume they have lost some of their privacy'. Just one in three (32%) `disagrees' (13% strongly/19% somewhat) with this assumption.

With most Canadians acknowledging that their activity is likely not confidential, below describes the type of tracking or monitoring that they believe is already occurring:

• Four in ten (39%) believe the federal government is tracking their internet activity, while 15% don't think the government is tracking their activity, while nearly half (46%) are not sure either way.
• Four in ten (36%) believe that governments in other countries are tracking their internet activity, while 16% don't think this is happening, with half (48%) unsure either way.
• Two in three (63%) believe that internet service providers are tracking their internet activity, while just one in ten (8%) don't think this is happening, and three in ten (29%) are unsure.
• Two in three (63%) also believe that companies whose websites they visit are tracking their internet activity. One in ten (9%) believe this isn't happening, while three in ten (28%) don't know.

Focusing specifically on the Government of Canada and the type of internet monitoring it may or may not be engaged in, most Canadians believe that monitoring is occurring on some level. Two in three (63%) believe the Government is `monitoring who visits certain websites', while four in ten (40%) think the Government is `collecting and saving internet activity records so they could be reviewed in the future'. A majority (53%) believes the government conducts `scanning for key words', and four in ten (43%) thinks that the government is engaged in `tracking internet searches'. One quarter (23%) even thinks that the government `reads through emails'. Just 3% don't think the government does any of these things, while one quarter (24%) don't know if the government does or not.

For some of these areas, Canadians aren't overly concerned if the government is in fact monitoring or tracking in this way; but for other areas, Canadians believe the government, if involved in these activities, may have crossed the line.

• The most egregious violation, according to Canadians, would be if the government was to read through emails. Six in ten (61%) believe this is completely unacceptable, while four in ten (37%) say it is acceptable in some circumstances. Only 2% think it is completely acceptable.
• Nearly half (45%) feel it is completely unacceptable for the government to collect and save internet activity records so they could be reviewed in the future, while half (49%) believe this would be acceptable in some circumstances, and 6% think it is completely acceptable.
• One in three (34%) believe it is completely unacceptable for the government to be tracking internet searches, while most (58%) think it is acceptable in some circumstances, and just 8% think it is a completely acceptable activity for government.
• Three in ten (28%) are of the opinion that is completely unacceptable for the Government to scan for key words, while a majority (52%) thinks this is acceptable in some circumstances, and 19% think it is completely acceptable.
• One in four (24%) believe it is completely unacceptable for the Government of Canada to monitor who visits certain websites, while most (57%) think this is acceptable in some circumstances, and 18% think it's completely acceptable.

Most Canadians Okay with Decreased Privacy for Increased Security...

Most Canadians appear to be okay with the trade-off of decreased privacy for increased security. Just one in three (34%) say `there is no acceptable reason for the Government to track my internet activity under any circumstances'. But most (66%) either say that they would `prefer the government not track' their internet activity, but they believe it is acceptable if they have good reason for doing so (59%), or that they `have no problem' with the Government tracking their internet activity regardless of the circumstances (7%).

Moreover, six in ten (59%) `agree' that they would `be willing to give up their internet privacy if it would help the Government foil terrorist plots', while four in ten (41%) `disagree' (18% strongly/23% somewhat). Further, a majority (55%) `agrees' (10% strongly/45% somewhat) that `the benefits of being online outweigh any possible loss of privacy', while a minority (45%) `disagrees' (18% strongly/27% somewhat).

In fact, if they heard that the Government of Canada was actively monitoring email, stored data, and the log-in information of individuals, just one in three (32%) are of the belief that `there is no acceptable reason for the Government to review their internet usage under any circumstances'. One in ten (10%) would `have no problem with the Government reviewing their internet usage regardless of the circumstances', while most (59%) `would prefer that the Government not review their internet usage, but they believe it is acceptable if they have a good reason for doing so'.

Where Canadians Draw the Line...

The line must be drawn somewhere. Canadians are reluctantly accepting of giving up their privacy to help governments, but they don't feel the same way when it comes to helping businesses. Just two in ten (20%) `agree' (3% strongly/17% somewhat) that they would `be willing to give up their internet privacy if it would help business they deal with provide them with information about new products or sales they might be interested in'. Most (80%) `disagree' (48% strongly/32% somewhat) that they would be okay with this type of invasion of their privacy.

Awareness of NSA Monitoring...

It was recently revealed that the National Security Agency in the United States has been investigating people suspected of involvement with terrorism by secretly listening in on telephone calls and reading e-mails between some people in the United States and other countries, without first getting court approval to do so. Based on what they have seen, read or heard, two in ten (20%) say they've heard `a lot' about this, while a slim majority (51%) of Canadians have heard `a little' about this issue. Just three in ten (29%) Canadians `have not seen, read or heard anything' about the NSA investigation.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July 24th and July 28th, 2013, on behalf of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). For this survey, a sample of 1,134 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Polls are subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Mike Colledge
President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
613.688.8971
[email protected]

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