Deep packet inspection (DPI) technology doesn’t threaten people’s privacy. People threaten people’s privacy.
Or that’s what Canadian network policy control solutions company Sandvine Inc. suggests in a recent submission to the privacy commissioner.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada will be holding consultations on the privacy implications of emerging technologies, such as DPI, in April, May and June in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary.
DPI is a networking technology currently used by Internet service providers (ISPs) to monitor and control data traffic.
While DPI can be used to maintain the integrity and security of networks, it can also provide third parties the ability to view private information sent over the Internet.
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In a consultation submission to the privacy commissioner, obtained by The Wire Report through federal access-to-information law, Sandvine argues that the debate should be on how people use technology to acquire personal information online, not on the technology itself.
The company says the commissioner’s review of emerging technologies should be technology-neutral.
“Banning the use of DPI, as some have suggested is necessary based on privacy implications, would have far-reaching and damaging consequences across the Internet, where the technology is used extensively. Instead, when considering the privacy implications of DPI, as with any technology, the focus should be on the use case, not the technology itself,” the company says.
Read more on The Wire Report.