The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) reprimanded soldiers who voiced concerns about a March 2020 order to monitor Canadians' online activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to internal documents viewed by CBC News, the military's top lawyer later warned of risks associated with this kind of monitoring, and a subsequent review determined that the operation violated established rules.
The CAF tasked a team with creating anonymous social media accounts to monitor the internet and produce daily reports for military leaders. These reports included information on the status of COVID-19 in Canada, political discourse, and any misinformation surrounding the pandemic. Some team members raised concerns that conducting such activities on their personal computers and networks could breach intelligence-gathering rules. One military member emailed Maj. John Zwicewicz expressing concerns that creating these accounts without proper procedure would cross the line set out in the policy. Zwicewicz reportedly dismissed these concerns, stating that a legal advisor had approved the activities and ordered the team to proceed.
The soldiers were reprimanded more than a week after initially raising their concerns. CBC News reported that Zwicewicz reported directly to Col. Chris Henderson, who directed the team at the time. A source with direct knowledge told CBC News that some members later quit the team or were medically released.
The Department of National Defence (DND) has declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy reasons. An internal investigation revealed that the team at Canadian Joint Operations Command did violate intelligence-gathering rules by using personal computers and home networks to collect information about Canadians.
