Police ‘overreach’ feared in arrest of teen accused in breach of website:experts
HALIFAX — Internet law experts are questioning the arrest of a 19-year-old Halifax man for an alleged breach of a provincial website after the youth came forward to say he believed he was simply downloading public information.
On Monday, CBC quoted the young man saying he had no malicious intent when he retrieved 7,000 documents from the government’s freedom-of-information internet portal due to his interest in a recent teachers’ labour dispute.
The 19-year-old, whose name CBC did not publish, and his family members also said there were 15 police officers involved in a raid on their house on April 11. They described the search as a frightening experience that left their home in disarray.
Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in internet law, said in an interview Tuesday it appears the province designed a website that could be accessed by many citizens with basic computer skills.