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

OTTAWA — 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.

The top court’s ruling came today in a case that began in 2017 when Calgary police investigated fraudulent online transactions from a liquor store.

The store’s third-party payment processor voluntarily gave police two IP addresses — numerical identifiers assigned by an internet service provider.

Police obtained a production order compelling the service provider to disclose the name and address of the customers.