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Tuesday December 27, 2011
Smart Meter News
Injunction Sought
Group says
health, safety, security and privacy compromised
Released by David Aaron, Lawyer
 complaint
has been filed under Section 47 of the Utilities Commission Act requesting
an injunctive freeze on the wireless component of the Smart Meter Program
without delay.
This action is being taken to engage the Commission’s administrative
function as a regulator of BC Hydro in accordance with the rule of law; only
by operation of the rule of law can the public interest in health, security,
privacy and safety be factored into Smart Meter Program decisions.
Up until now, the Commission as a regulator has been left out and, with
that, any consideration of the public interest has been eliminated from BC
Hydro’s decision. The action taken is about preserving the regulatory
oversight and democratic process we uphold under the rule of law in British
Columbia. BC Hydro cannot be allowed to act with impunity, without regard to
the public interest, on a matter that raises serious concerns with respect
to human health, environmental integrity, individual privacy and civil
liberties.
The Clean Energy Act purports to excuse BC Hydro from having to obtain a
BCUC issued Certificate of “public convenience and necessity” but not with
respect to the wireless and snooping components of the Smart Meter Program.
The Commission is requested to issue relief on an urgent and interim basis,
without hearing and without delay, so as to effectively freeze any and all
activity being carried out by BC Hydro in contravention of section 45(1) of
the Utilities Commission Act. Any delay in the issuance of the relief sought
will allow BC Hydro to continue with unauthorized expenditures associated
with the Unauthorized Extensions. This Action is taken to preserve and give
weight to the public interest with regard to the deployment of the Smart
Meter Program in British Columbia.
For more information visit:
www.citizensforsafetechnology.com
Monday December 26, 2011
Smart Meter News
StopSmartMeters.ca:
Commissioner's report is flawed and toothless
Released by David Aaron, Lawyer
 topSmartMeters.ca
is working to halt BC Hydro's Smart Metering Program via the BC Recall and
Initiative Act, similar to the anti HST campaign.
On December 19th, 2011 the Office of the Information and Privacy
Commissioner for British Columbia issued Investigation Report F11-03. The
report was critical of BC Hydro's lack of protection of personal information
in their Smart Metering Program.
"The Report itself is badly flawed; it fails to look beyond BC Hydro's
public relations rhetoric while consistently citing Hydro's speculations as
fact," according to StopSmartMeters.ca spokesperson Steve Satow. "Our
Privacy Commissioner fails to demand protection from 'smart' technology that
could end privacy in our homes," claims Satow.
"The technical capacity of smart meters to report on every minute detail of
our electrical use is well known. In other smart metered jurisdictions,
there are numerous examples of how such personal data are being
requisitioned by insurance companies, businesses, as well as police and
government organizations," claims Satow.
"The BC government-appointed Information and Privacy Commissioner has
released what is essentially a marketing scheme for the Smart Meter Program;
this agency, that is supposedly protecting us, does not mention that it is
the core values of our democracy that are at risk from this ill-conceived
'surveillance' meter program," says Satow.
"Smart" meters have been tested and found to be vulnerable to hacking. And
there are fears among top security experts that the entire "smart" grid is
also vulnerable to cyber attack and penetration, as highlighted by James
Woolsey, former director of the CIA.
The Commissioner's Report outlines 14 recommendations for the improved
handling of personal data collected by the new BC Hydro smart meters.
"Regrettably," states Society President Steve Satow, "only ONE of those
recommendations states that BC Hydro MUST adopt it, and the rest merely
state that they SHOULD be adopted."
"Furthermore," states Satow, a resident of Saanich, "the investigation into
this issue appears to have accepted and relied on information provided by BC
Hydro without questioning the accuracy or validity of this information.
There is significant evidence to suggest that BC Hydro is not offering full
disclosure with regard to the smart meter program."
The Society encourages anyone who might have concerns about this report and
the smart meter program to visit the website at StopSmartMeters.ca, and
support the Citizens' Initiative vote.
For more information visit:
www.stopsmartmeters.ca
© Copyright (c) 2011 The Valley Voice
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