Internet Society expresses concern over CRTC botnet blocking plan

The Internet Society (ISOC) has highlighted what it says are “significant risks” in the CRTC’s proposal for Canadian ISPs to be required to block malicious botnet traffic on their networks. In an intervention for the CRTC’s public consultation on the matter, the American nonprofit cautioned against any approach that centres around blocking or filtering internet traffic. “We further believe that the top-down, mandated nature of this proposal is not the right approach. Instead, the CRTC should focus on encouraging network operators to collaborate on security best practices and tools in order to ensure the online safety of their users.” ISOC, which advocates for open internet, suggested that the CRTC’s idea could violate section 36 of the Telecommunications Act, which prohibits control of content by ISPs. “Without wishing to speculate on legal implications of this proposal, we merely note that network-level blocking, even directed at botnets, raises potential implications on this Section,” wrote ISOC. The CRTC launched a consultation on the issue in January, seeking input on whether a network level framework should be developed to block malicious botnet traffic, in the name of protecting Canadian internet users. In its call for comments, the Commission reiterated its support for the principle of net neutrality, but also acknowledged that “a limited exception to net neutrality may be warranted in order to offer Canadians additional protections from these threats.” However, ISOC warned that these kinds of exceptions could lead to “scope creep”, and a framework that filters out more than just malicious botnets. “There is also the opposite risk that block lists will become overly broad and deny Internet users access to legitimate content in the name of preventing botnet spread.” Instead of developing some kind of filtering framework to manage malicious botnets, ISOC instead recommended that the CRTC develop “a robust toolkit” to help ISPs and other players respond to threats. ISOC further recommended that if the CRTC goes through with developing a filter-based framework, Canadians should be able to opt in to it, and that it would need to provide “transparency in blocking decisions”, as well as an appeal mechanism.

Internet Society expresses concern over CRTC botnet blocking plan

Brief | March 16, 2021

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Internet Society expresses concern over CRTC botnet blocking plan

Brief | March 16, 2021

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