Were the Ontario Election spam messages actually compliant with the law?

Did Ontario just get a dose of high tech election interference?

After the US election that saw Donald Trump elected last year and just before that we had Brexit. People were left wondering how could this happen and then came the Cambridge Analytica scandal with Facebook. Well,  there was an election in Ontario last week and I saw many complaints from people about spam calls and SMS messengers from the conservative party.

It turns out these were not sent from the conservative party but a right-wing political organization called Ontario Proud.

Under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, an organization must gain consent to send any commercial electronic message to a person’s electronic address. Ontario Proud founder Jeff Ballingall said the group is not breaking any laws because it is not selling anything.

There was some confusion about how Ontario Proud gained access to the personal telephone numbers. The right-wing organization is also known to threaten legal action against critics. Ontario Proud have said they made use of the Canadian Numbering Plan, the system overseen by the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA), an agency under CRTC oversight that assigns phone numbers to carriers.

There are strict laws against political parties engaging in these sorts of activities. It seems there are more than one way to get around this. Ontario Proud is a fine example of these and just how far can this go?

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the CRTC did not respond to requests for comment.

Why did #Fido sell my number to Ontario Proud?

— Old Grump (@Caneshaker) June 5, 2018

It wasn't the 407 either

Getting spam texts/calls from Ontario Proud? Don't respond! They are a far-right, anti-immigrant group funded by wealthy conservatives from Canada/US, collecting your personal info for the Conservatives. Here's the Ontario Proud boys - send them a love letter? #onpoli #topoli pic.twitter.com/JT984qQCog

— Mr. Lindsay (@fundevolution) June 6, 2018

Okay... who sold my phone number to Ontario Proud? #nothanks #spam

— Marisol Fokes (@marisolfokes) June 6, 2018

Hey @CBCNews @CityNews @CTVNews myself and quite a few other folks I know received texts and calls from Ontario Proud today. We’re all confused how they got our number and why they’d be contacting us at all. Aren’t they just a Facebook page!? pic.twitter.com/u5jFK7mdfV

— Danielle Cooper (@mizdaniellec) June 4, 2018

Ontario Proud just called me and I said “bye” and hung up. #OnPoli

— Nadia S (@madhatressTO) June 3, 2018

So @ElectionsON , I just got a phone call that not only polled me but actually CAMPAIGNED to me from "Ontario Proud" on behalf of the #ONpoli PC Party. How does this square with the new laws surrounding political contributions, advertising/electioneering/financing in Ontario?

— Ammario Reza (@AmmarioR) June 6, 2018

I know several ppl who received this text. Some have no knowledge of giving contact info to Ontario Proud. So where did they get it, what did they pay for the list and the mass texting service, and do they declare it as a 3rd party? #onpoli https://t.co/2BRWwhxdPs

— Michael Wheeler (@michaelcwheeler) June 4, 2018

From this weekend on, we'll be inundated with 16 months of anti-Trudeau posts from Ontario Proud. That is unless the NDP wins on Thursday, then they'll need to attack both. Let's give them more work, vote NDP. #onpoli #onelxn #topoli https://t.co/Q2xI4NOVdl

— Asif Hossain (@asifintoronto) June 6, 2018

Why is Ontario Proud, a conservative political advocacy group, sending unsolicited texts to people? How did they even get my phone number? They post anti-NDP and anti-Liberal memes on their Facebook account, they are trash. This can’t be legal to send mass unsolicited texts. pic.twitter.com/IazSrxPyYh

— Jesse Taylor (@jesssetaylor) June 5, 2018

No group in Canadian politics has ever used Facebook as effectively as Ontario Proud https://t.co/tlZn4DWBoT pic.twitter.com/VK6LDlVtuz

— National Post (@nationalpost) June 5, 2018

Who is behind Ontario Proud?

Getting spam texts/calls from Ontario Proud? Don't respond! They are a far-right, anti-immigrant group funded by wealthy conservatives from Canada/US, collecting your personal info for the Conservatives. Here's the Ontario Proud boys - send them a love letter? #onpoli #topoli pic.twitter.com/JT984qQCog

— Mr. Lindsay (@fundevolution) June 6, 2018

Kind of jealous I haven't got a text from Ontario Proud so I could send my first dick pic.

— Peter Fraser (@TheRealFRZA) June 5, 2018

Automatic dialling is permitted in Canada.

— Ryan O'Connor (@rpoconnor) May 26, 2018