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Supreme Court of Canada says a computer's IP address deserves privacy protection

The Supreme Court of Canada says police need judicial authorization to obtain a computer's internet protocol address, calling the identification number a crucial link between a person and their online activity.

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada says police need judicial authorization to obtain a computer user's internet protocol address, calling the identification number a crucial link between a person and their online activity. Writing for a majority of the court, Justice Andromache Karakatsanis said an IP address “is the key to unlocking a user's internet activity and, ultimately, their identity, such that it attracts a reasonable expectation of privacy.” The four dissenting judges said the appeal should be dismissed, finding Bykovets did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the IP addresses on the credit card processor's servers and the internet service provider they revealed.

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