Editing Communications Security Establishment

{{Short description|Canadian cryptologic agency}}
{{Distinguish|text = the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]] (CSIS)}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Communications Security Establishment
| nativename      = 
| nativename_a    = 
| nativename_r    = 
| seal            = CSEC_logo_canada.svg
| seal_width      = 150px
| seal_caption    = [[Badge of the Communications Security Establishment|Badge of the CSE]]<ref>The Latin motto translates as 'providing and protecting information'.</ref>
| logo            = CSE Workmark.jpg
| logo_width      = 180px
| logo_caption    = CSE [[wordmark]]
| formed          = 1946
| preceding1      = [[Communications Security Establishment Canada#Examination Unit|Examination Unit]], a civilian organization established in [[1941 in Canada|1941]], by the [[National Research Council (Canada)|National Research Council]]
| preceding2      = 
| dissolved       = 
| superseding     = 
| jurisdiction    = 
| headquarters    = [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]
| employees       = 3,490 (2024-25)<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/innovation/human-resources-statistics/population-federal-public-service-department.html | title=Population of the federal public service by department| date=11 July 2024}}</ref>
| budget          = $1,041.7 million (2024{{ndash}}25)<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/proactive-disclosure/nddn-main-estimates-2024-2025/cse.html#toc0| title=Communication Security Establishment (CSE) Notes| date=24 September 2024}}</ref>
| minister1_name  = [[Hon.]] [[Bill Blair (politician)|Bill Blair]]
| minister1_pfo   = [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]]
| minister2_name  = 
| minister2_pfo   = 
| chief1_name     = [[Caroline Xavier]]
| chief1_position = Chief of Communications Security Establishment
| chief2_name     = 
| chief2_position = 
| parent_agency   = 
| child1_agency   = [[Canadian Centre for Cyber Security]]
| child2_agency   = [[Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing]]
| keydocument1    = ''Communications Security Establishment Act''
| website         = {{URL|https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en }}
| footnotes       = 
| agency_type     = government agency responsible for
* [[cyber security]] and [[information assurance]]
* [[foreign intelligence]]
* defensive and active [[Cyber warfare|cyber operations]]
* technical and operational assistance
| chief3_name     = 
| chief3_position = 
| chief4_name     = 
| chief4_position = 
| chief5_name     = 
| chief5_position = 
| chief6_name     = 
| chief6_position = 
| chief7_name     = 
| chief7_position = 
| chief8_name     = 
| chief8_position = 
| chief9_name     = 
| chief9_position = 
| parent_department = 
}}

The '''Communications Security Establishment''' ('''CSE'''; {{langx|fr|Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications}}, ''CST''), formerly (from 2008-2014) called the '''Communications Security Establishment Canada''' ('''CSEC'''), is the [[Government of Canada]]'s national [[Cryptology|cryptologic]] agency. It is responsible for foreign [[signals intelligence]] (SIGINT) and [[communications security]] (COMSEC), protecting federal government [[Electronic communication network|electronic information and communication networks]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-05-06|title=Communications Security Establishment|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033747/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en|url-status=live}}</ref> and is the technical authority for [[cyber security]] and [[information assurance]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Establishment|first=Communications Security|date=2020-10-27|title=Communications Security Establishment|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/corporate-information/mandate|access-date=2021-05-22|website=www.cse-cst.gc.ca|language=en}}</ref>

Formally administered under the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] (DND), the CSE is now a separate agency under the National Defence portfolio. The CSE is accountable to the [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]] through its deputy head, the Chief of CSE. The National Defence Minister is in turn accountable to the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] and [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]]. The current Chief of the CSE is [[Caroline Xavier]], who assumed the office on 31 August 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-10-27|title=Organizational structure|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/corporate-information/organizational-structure|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033640/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/corporate-information/organizational-structure|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Office of the Prime Minister|author-link=Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|date=June 27, 2018|title=The Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-prime-minister-announces-changes-in-the-senior-ranks-of-the-public-service-686714871.html|access-date=July 5, 2018|quote=Shelly Bruce, currently Associate Chief of the Communications Security Establishment, becomes Chief of the Communications Security Establishment, effective immediately.|archive-date=July 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705234024/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-prime-minister-announces-changes-in-the-senior-ranks-of-the-public-service-686714871.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, the agency built a new headquarters and campus encompassing {{convert|340,000|sqm|acres|abbr=on}}. The facility totals a little over {{convert|110,000|sqm|sqft|abbr=on}} and is adjacent to [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]].

==History==
CSE originates from Canada's joint military and civilian [[code-breaking]] and intelligence efforts during the [[Canada in World War II|Second World War]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-10-27|title=History|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033640/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== {{Anchor|Examination Unit}}Examination Unit ===
The '''Examination Unit''' ('''XU''') was established during the [[Canada in World War II|Second World War]], in June 1941, as a branch of the [[National Research Council Canada|National Research Council]]. It was the first civilian office in Canada solely dedicated to [[decryption]] of communications signals; until then, [[Signals intelligence|SIGINT]] was entirely within the purview of the [[Canadian Military|Canadian military]], and mostly limited to [[Intercept message|intercepts]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-02-18|title=Our Story {{!}} History|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/our-story|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033640/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/our-story|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 1942, XU moved next door to [[Laurier House]] in [[Sandy Hill, Ottawa]];<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-10-27|title=Timeline {{!}} History|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/timeline|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033828/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/timeline|url-status=live}}</ref> this location was chosen because they felt it would draw no suspicion to the enemies.<ref name=":10" /> In September, the [[Department of External Affairs (Canada)|Department of External Affairs]] established its Special Intelligence Section at XU with the purpose of reviewing decoded SIGINT with other collateral information to produce [[Intelligence assessment|intelligence summaries]].<ref name=":9" />

The original mandate of the Examination Unit was to intercept the [[communications]] of [[Vichy France]] and [[Germany]]. Its mandate later expanded to include interception and decryption of [[Japan]]ese communications after [[Japan during World War II|Japan entered the war]]. The unit was estimated to have had 50 staff members at any one time. In total 77 people worked there.<ref name=":10">{{cite book|last1=Pepall|first1=Diana|title=Canada's Bletchley Park: The Examination Unit in Ottawa's Sandy Hill 1941-1945|date=January 2017|publisher=Historical Society of Ottawa|isbn=978-0-920960-43-1|location=Ottawa, ON, Canada}}</ref>

By 1945, the disparate SIGINT collection units of the [[Royal Canadian Navy|Canadian Navy]], [[Canadian Army|Army]], and [[Royal Canadian Air Force|Air Force]], were consolidated into the Joint Discrimination Unit (JDU), which was headquartered in Ottawa in the same building as the XU. By the end of the War, the military JDU and the civilian XU were able to coordinate SIGINT collection, analysis, and dissemination so efficiently that it led officials to consider the establishment of peacetime SIGINT operations.<ref name=":1" /> In September 1945, [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Harry S. Truman|Harry Truman]] declared it would be vital to carry out such operations, and Canadian authorities came to the same conclusion in December later that year.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="CSECref">{{cite web|author=Rosen Philip|date=September 1993|title=THE COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT - CANADA'S MOST SECRET INTELLIGENCE AGENCY|url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp343-e.htm|access-date=March 5, 2011|work=Depository Service Program|publisher=Government of Canada Publications|archive-date=August 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813142135/http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp343-e.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 13 April 1946, a secret [[Order in Council]] allowed for postwar continuation of wartime cryptologic efforts and thus the Communications Branch of the National Research Council of Canada (CBNRC) was founded. This agency would be the predecessor to today's Communications Security Establishment (CSE).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":9" /><ref name="CSECref" />

=== Communications Branch of the National Research Council ===
Beginning operations on 3 September 1946, the Communications Branch of the National Research Council (CBNRC) was the first [[peace-time]] [[Cryptology|cryptologic]] agency and was kept secret for much of its beginning.<ref name=":0" /> The CBNRC was established through a secret [[Order in Council]] signed on 13 April 1946, combining the civilian Examination Unit (XU) and the military Joint Discrimination Unit (JDU) and was located at [[LaSalle College|LaSalle Academy]].<ref name=":1" />

With Edward Drake as its first director, the agency worked with intercepted foreign [[electronic communications]], collected largely from the [[Royal Canadian Corps of Signals|Royal Canadian Signal Corps]] (RCCS) station at [[Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport|Rockcliffe Airport]] in Ottawa. CSE also worked with [[Canadian Forces Station Leitrim]] (CFS Leitrim; formerly 1 Special Wireless Station till 1949, and Ottawa Wireless Station till 1966), Canada's oldest operational [[Signals intelligence|signal intelligence]] (SIGINT) collection station, established by the RCCS in 1941 and located just south of Ottawa. In 1946, the station's complement was 75 personnel (compared to its around 2,000 employees in 2013–2014).<ref>{{Cite web|title=CSE: What do we know about Canada's eavesdropping agency? &#124; CBC News|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cse-what-do-we-know-about-canada-s-eavesdropping-agency-1.1400396|access-date=2016-06-20|archive-date=2019-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122205010/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cse-what-do-we-know-about-canada-s-eavesdropping-agency-1.1400396|url-status=live}}</ref> This unit successfully [[decrypt]]ed, translated, and analyzed these foreign signals, and turned that [[Raw data|raw information]] into useful intelligence reports during the course of the war.

CBNRC finally began domestic [[Communications security|COMSEC]] efforts on 1 January 1947.<ref name=":9" /> During the [[Canada in the Cold War|Cold War]], the CBNRC was primarily responsible for providing SIGINT data to the Department of National Defence regarding the [[military operation]]s of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Monitor89">{{cite journal|last=Robinson|first=Bill|date=March 1989|title=Canada and Signals Intelligence: The Electronic Polar Watch|journal=Ploughshares Monitor|pages=21–23}}</ref>

In February 1950, R. S. McLaren was appointed the first CBNRC Senior Liaison Officer (CBSLO) to [[Washington, D.C.]] In March 1962: CBNRC installed its first [[IBM]] [[supercomputer]], costing CA$372k. In December 1964, CBNRC began collaboration on "Canadian ALVIS" (CID 610), the first and only Canadian [[cipher machine]] to be mass-produced; based on the British ALVIS ([[BID 610]]).<ref name=":9" />

CBNRC and the information it gathered and shared was kept secret for 34 years until 9 January 1974, when [[CBC Television]] aired a  documentary titled ''The Fifth Estate: The Espionage Establishment''.<ref name=":2">"[https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2661556131 The Espionage Establishment of 1974] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417064028/https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2661556131 |date=2021-04-17 }}," produced by William MacAdam, researched by [[James Dubro|James R. Dubro]]. 1974 January 9. via ''CBC Archives''.</ref> This was the first time that the organization had ever been mentioned in public.<ref name=":1" /> This resulted in an outcry in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Common]] and an admission by the Canadian government that the organization existed.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=Our Story|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/our-story#cbnrcbc|publisher=Communications Security Establishment Canada|access-date=5 April 2023|date=2022-03-14|quote="In 1974, CBC Television aired a documentary “The Fifth Estate: the Espionage Establishment.” While the program focused primarily on American international espionage, the program also included information on CBNRC – the first time the organization had ever been mentioned in public. The show’s description of signals intelligence collection and information sharing within the Five-Eyes partnership, caused a sensation, and led to the first ever acknowledgement of the existence of the CBNRC in Canada’s Parliament. The following year, 1975, the Communications Branch of the National Research Council was moved to the Department of National Defence and renamed the Communications Security Establishment (CSE)."|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112013747/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/our-story|archive-date=12 Jan 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Communications Security Establishment ===
In 1975, the CBNRC was transferred to the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] (DND) by an [[Order in Council]], and became the Communications Security Establishment.<ref name=":0" /> CSE was now publicly known, and had diversified since the Cold War becoming the primary SIGINT resource in Canada.

In 1988, CSE created the Canadian System Security Centre to establish a Canadian [[computer security]] standard among other goals.<ref name="MerkowBreithaupt2014">{{cite book|author1=Mark S. Merkow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YBKpAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA93|title=Information Security: Principles and Practices|author2=Jim Breithaupt|publisher=Pearson|year=2014|isbn=978-0-7897-5325-0|page=93–|author2-link=Jim Breithaupt}}</ref> This led to the publication of the [[Canadian Trusted Computer Product Evaluation Criteria]].<ref name="MerkowBreithaupt2014" />

Following the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, [[Anti-Terrorism Act (Canada)|Canada's ''Anti-terrorism Act'']] (''ATA'') was ratified, receiving [[royal assent]] on 18 December 2001. It amended the ''[[National Defence Act]]'' to formally acknowledge and mandate the activities of CSE. It also made amendments to the ''[[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act]]'', the ''[[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]]'', and the ''Official Secrets Act'' (later the ''[[Security of Information Act]]'').<ref name=":1" />

In early 2008, in line with the [[Federal Identity Program]] (FIP) of the Government of Canada, which requires all federal agencies to have the word ''Canada'' in their name,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/fip-pcim/|title=Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat|first1=Treasury Board of Canada|last1=Government of Canada|first2=Conseil du Trésor du Canada|last2=Gouvernement du Canada|date=March 17, 2022|website=www.tbs-sct.gc.ca}}</ref> CSE adopted the applied title '''Communications Security Establishment Canada''' (CSEC; {{langx|fr|Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications Canada}}, CSTC). Since mid-2014, the organization has used its legal name (Communications Security Establishment) and initials (CSE) on its website and in public statements.

In November 2011, CSE was made an independent agency, though still operating under the [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|National Defence portfolio]] and constrained by the ''National Defence Act''.<ref name=":1" />

In June 2019, the ''Communications Security Establishment Act'' was passed as part of an [[Omnibus bill|omnibus]] national security bill called the ''[[National Security Act 2017 (Canada)|National Security Act 2017]]''. Coming into force two months later, in August, the act set out the mandate and powers of CSE.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=2020-10-27|title=Governance|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/accountability/governance|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033638/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/accountability/governance|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of the omnibus bill, oversight of CSE activities was assumed by the newly created [[National Security and Intelligence Review Agency]] (NSIRA).<ref name=":5" />

On October 11, 2023, CSE Chief [[Caroline Xavier]] said in an interview with CBC News that CSE offices in various cities may be opened to alleviate staffing shortages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bureau |first=Brigitte |date=2023-10-11 |title=Canada's electronic spy agency facing a staffing crisis |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/cse-canada-spy-electronic-security-staffing-1.6989354 |website=CBC News |access-date=2023-10-14 |archive-date=2023-10-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013225940/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/cse-canada-spy-electronic-security-staffing-1.6989354 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Insignia ==
[[File:Cse badge.png|thumb|200px|Badge of the CSE]]
[[File:Former CSE Information Technology Security logo.jpg|thumb|200px|Former logo of the IT Security program (the triangle represented threats, while the arc symbolized protection)]]
{{main|Badge of the Communications Security Establishment}}
CSE uses generic identifiers imposed by the [[Federal Identity Program]]. However, CSE is one of several federal departments and agencies (primarily those having law enforcement, security or regulatory functions) that have been granted a badge by the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]]. The badge was granted in 1994, while [[:File:CSEpennant.jpg|CSE's pennant]] was first raised in 1996 to mark the organization's 50th anniversary.

From the 1990s to the mid 2000s, CSE's Information Technology Security program used a logo to identify its products and publications. The triangle represented threats, while the arc symbolized protection.<ref>According to information provided to attendees of the 12th Annual Information Technology Security Symposium, June 2000.</ref>

==Operations==
Unique within Canada's security and intelligence community, the Communications Security Establishment employs code-makers and code-breakers ([[cryptanalysis]]) to provide the Government of Canada with [[Information security|information technology security (IT Security)]] and foreign signals intelligence services. CSE also provides technical and operational assistance to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and federal law enforcement and security agencies, including the [[Canada Border Services Agency]] and the [[Canadian Air Transport Security Authority]].

===Signal intelligence===
CSE relies on its closest foreign intelligence allies, the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand to share the collection burden and the resulting intelligence yield. [[Canada]] is a substantial beneficiary and participant of the collaborative effort within the partnership to collect and report on foreign communications.<ref name="Monitor89" />

During the [[Cold War]], CSE's primary client for signals intelligence was National Defence, and its focus was the [[military operations]] of the then [[Soviet Union]]. Since the end of the Cold War, Government of Canada requirements have evolved to include a wide variety of political, defence, and security issues of interest to a much broader range of client departments.

While these continue to be key intelligence priorities for Government of Canada decision-makers, increasing focus on protecting the safety of Canadians is prompting greater interest in intelligence on transnational issues, including [[terrorism]].

====Code breaking equipment====
[[File:NSA Canada relationship.pdf|thumb|240px|The NSA's relationship with Canada's CSEC|left]]CSE code breaking capabilities degraded substantially in the 1960s and 1970s but were upgraded with the acquisition of a [[Cray X-MP|Cray X-MP/11]] (modified) supercomputer delivered to the Sir Leonard Tilley building in March 1985 and the hiring of code breaking analysts. It was, at the time, the most powerful computer in Canada. In the early 1990s, the Establishment purchased a Floating Point Systems FPS 522-EA supercomputer at a cost of $1,620,371. This machine was upgraded to a Cray S-MP superserver after Cray acquired [[Floating Point Systems]] in December 1991 and used the Folklore Operating System supplied by the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] in the US.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://luxexumbra.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html | title=Lux Ex Umbra: June 2008 | access-date=2010-11-24 | archive-date=2018-04-17 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417024442/https://luxexumbra.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html | url-status=live }}</ref> These machines are now retired.

Little information is available on the types of computers used by the CSE since then. However, Cray in the US has produced a number of improved supercomputers since then. These include the Cray SX-6, early 2000s, the [[Cray X1]], 2003 (development funded in part by the NSA), [[Cray XD1]], 2004, Cray XT3, [[Cray XT4]], 2006, Cray XMt, 2006 and Cray CX1, 2008. It is possible that some of these models have been used by the CSE and are in use today.

=== <!-- Moved from [[Canadian Centre for Cyber Security]] -->Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ===
{{Infobox government agency
| name            = Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
| native_name     = Centre Canadien pour la Cyber Sécurité
| chief1_name     = [[Sami Khoury (Canadian civil servant)|Sami Khoury]]
| chief1_position = Head
| parent_department = Communications Security Establishment
| website         = [https://cyber.gc.ca/en/ cyber.gc.ca]
}}

The '''Canadian Centre for Cyber Security''' ('''CCCS''' or '''Cyber Centre'''; {{langx|fr|Centre Canadien pour la Cyber Sécurité}}) is the [[Government of Canada]] authority responsible for monitoring [[Cyber threats|threats]], protecting national [[critical infrastructure]] against cyber incidents, and coordinating the national response to any incidents related to [[cyber security]].

As a unit under the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the agency is Canada's [[computer emergency response team]] (CSIRT) and the Canadian government's computer [[Incident response team]] (CIRT).<ref name=":1" />

Officially created on 1 October 2018, CCCS consolidated the existing operational cyber-security units of several federal government organizations, including [[Public Safety Canada]]'s Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre, [[Shared Services Canada]]'s Security Operations Centre, and the CSE's Information Technology Security branch.<ref name=":02">{{cite web|title=Government of Canada Announces New National Cyber Security Strategy and the Creation of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security|url=https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/cybr-ctr/2018/in18-003-en.aspx|website=Public Safety Canada|accessdate=13 October 2019|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924181504/https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/cybr-ctr/2018/in18-003-en.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{cite web|title=Canadian Centre for Cyber Security|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/backgrounder-fiche-information|website=Communications Security Establishment|accessdate=13 October 2019|archive-date=4 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004231617/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/backgrounder-fiche-information|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====History====
Formerly known as [[communications security]] (COMSEC), the CSE's Information Technology Security branch grew out of a need to protect [[sensitive information]] transmitted by various agencies of the government, especially the [[Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade]] (DFAIT), [[Canada Border Services Agency]] (CBSA), DND, and the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP).<ref name="CCfCSBackgrounder" />

The Cyber Centre was developed in response to CSE's consultations with Canadians in 2016 which identified various issues pertaining to cyber security in relation to the federal government, including accountability, departmental coordination, and leadership. In February 2018, [[2018 Canadian federal budget|the federal budget]] allocated funds for CSE, in collaboration with [[Public Safety Canada]] and [[Shared Services Canada]], to launch the Cyber Centre.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Establishment|first=Communications Security|date=2021-02-18|title=Communications Security Establishment|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/our-story|access-date=2021-05-22|website=www.cse-cst.gc.ca|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033640/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/history/our-story|url-status=live}}</ref>

Officially created on 1 October 2018, CCCS consolidated the existing operational cyber-security units of several federal government organizations, including the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre of Public Safety Canada; the Security Operations Centre of Shared Services Canada; and the Information Technology Security branch of CSE.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":12" />

Prior to opening, in June 2018, Minister [[Ralph Goodale]] appointed [[Scott Jones (Canadian civil servant)|Scott Jones]] the head of the new Centre.<ref name="PressRelease2018-06-12" /><ref name="CCfCSBackgrounder" />

=== <!-- Moved from [[Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing]] -->Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing ===
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| chief1_name = Dr. Hugh Williams (February 2009 - February 2015)
| chief1_position = Director
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| website = {{URL|https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/tutte-institute}}
| agency_type = research institute
}}The '''Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing''' ('''TIMC''') is a [[research institute]] programme of the [[Government of Canada]] responsible for conducting [[Classified information#Canada|classified]] research in the areas of [[cryptology]] and [[knowledge discovery]] to support the Canadian Cryptologic Program and its [[Five Eyes|Five-Eyes]] international partners.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|url = https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/research|title = Communications Security Establishment|date = 27 October 2020|access-date = 22 May 2021|archive-date = 22 May 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210522060018/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/research|url-status = live}}</ref>

Though officially founded in 2009, TIMC officially opened and formally named in September 2011.<ref name=":11" /><ref name="Lux"/> Named after [[cryptanalyst]] and [[mathematician]] [[W. T. Tutte|William T. Tutte]], TIMC is based within CSE's Edward Drake Building in [[Ottawa]].<ref name=":11" />

Sponsored and funded by the Communications Security Establishment, the institute is partnered with [[Institutes for Defence Analyses]], CCR Princeton, CCR La Jolla, CCS Bowie, the [[Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research]], [[Carleton University]], and the [[University of Calgary]] and is working to create partnerships with other research institutes, government agencies and universities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/tutte/partners-partenaires-eng.html |title=Partners |access-date=2021-05-22 |archive-date=2012-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420235115/http://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/tutte/partners-partenaires-eng.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Researchers Leland McInnes and John Healy at the Tutte Institute developed a technique called [[Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection]] (UMAP), originally designed to analyze [[malware]]. The algorithm and software of UMAP has since been released by TIMC to the [[open-source community]], and is now being used to answer questions about [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Establishment|first=Communications Security|date=2020-09-28|title=Communications Security Establishment|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/research/tutte-publications-and-events/computer-viruses-coronavirus|access-date=2021-05-22|website=www.cse-cst.gc.ca|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522060017/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/culture-and-community/research/tutte-publications-and-events/computer-viruses-coronavirus|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Facilities ==
[[File:Tilley Building.JPG|thumb|240px|The [[Sir Leonard Tilley Building]], former headquarters of the CSE|left]]CSE occupies several buildings in [[Ottawa]], including the Edward Drake Building and, formerly, the [[Sir Leonard Tilley Building]].

CSE moved to the Tilley Building in June 1961.<ref name=":9" /> On 26 February 2015, CSE officially inaugurated their headquarters at the new Edward Drake Building, named for [[Lt. Colonel]] Edward Drake, a pioneer of the Canadian [[signals intelligence]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":9" />

With the rapid expansion in the number of CSE personnel since the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 attack]] in the US, the CSE has built new facilities. A new [[Canadian dollar|CA$]]1.2 billion<ref>{{Cite web|title=Inside Canada's top-secret billion-dollar spy palace &#124; CBC News|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-canada-s-top-secret-billion-dollar-spy-palace-1.1930322|access-date=2013-11-03|archive-date=2018-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324150756/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-canada-s-top-secret-billion-dollar-spy-palace-1.1930322|url-status=live}}</ref> facility, encompassing {{Convert|72,000|sqm|acres}}, has been built in the eastern part of Ottawa, immediately west of the headquarters building for the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]]. Construction began in early 2011 and was completed in 2015.<ref>Defence Industry Daily, DID » Logistics & Support » Bases & Infrastructure » Canada's CSE SIGINT Agency Building New Facilities, 10 jun 2009</ref>

{{Clear}}

==Governance and mandate==

=== Legislation ===
In addition to those mentioned below, CSE is bound by all other Canadian laws, including the [[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]], the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'', the [[Privacy Act (Canada)|''Privacy Act'']], ''[[Security of Information Act]]'', and the ''[[Avoiding Complicity in Mistreatment by Foreign Entities Act]]''.<ref name=":4" />

In December 2001, the Canadian government passed [[Omnibus bill|omnibus]] bill C-36 into law as the ''[[Anti-Terrorism Act (Canada)|Anti-Terrorism Act]]''. The Act amended portions of the ''[[National Defence Act]]'' and officially recognized CSE's three-part mandate:
* To acquire and use information from the global information infrastructure for the purpose of providing foreign intelligence, in accordance with Government of Canada intelligence priorities.
* To provide advice, guidance and services to help ensure the protection of electronic information and of information infrastructures of importance to the Government of Canada.
* To provide technical and operational assistance to federal law enforcement and security agencies in the performance of their lawful duties.

The ''Anti-Terrorism Act'' also strengthened CSE's capacity to engage in the war on terrorism by providing needed authorities to fulfill its mandate.

In the 2007 Proceedings of the [[Canadian Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence]], then-CSE Chief John Adams indicated that the CSE is collecting [[communications data]] when he suggested that the legislation was not perfect in regard to interception of information relating to the "envelope."<ref>[https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/Sen/committee/391/defe/15evb-e Issue 15 - Evidence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219210831/https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/SEN/Committee/391/defe/15evb-e |date=2020-02-19 }} ''Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence'' April 30, 2007</ref>

{{Infobox legislation
| short_title = Communications Security Establishment Act
| legislature = [[Parliament of Canada]]
| long_title = An Act to establish the Communications Security Establishment
| citation = [https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-35.3/page-1.html S.C. 2019, c. 13, s. 76]
| enacted_by = section 76 of chapter 13 of the [[Statutes of Canada]], 2019
| date_assented = 21 June 2019
| date_effective = 1 August 2019
| status = current
}}

==== ''Communications Security Establishment Act'' ====
In June 2019, the '''''Communications Security Establishment Act''''' (''CSE Act'') was passed, as part of the ''[[National Security Act 2017]]''. The Act, which came into force two months after passing, notes that there are five aspects of CSE's mandate:<ref name=":4" />
*The acquisition of [[foreign intelligence]] (SIGINT)
*Cybersecurity and information assurance to help protect electronic information and information infrastructures of the Canadian government and those designated to be of importance to the government
*Defensive cyber operations
*Active cyber operations
*Technical and operational assistance to federal law enforcement and security agencies, the Canadian Forces, and the Department of National Defence.

The ''CSE Act'' requires that CSE activities do not target [[Canadians]] anywhere in the world, or any person in Canada, "unless there are reasons to believe that there is an imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. The Act also requires the CSE protect the [[Canadian privacy law|privacy]] of Canadians and persons in Canada. As such, CSE is forbidden, by law, to intercept domestic communications. When intercepting communications between a domestic and foreign source, the domestic communications are destroyed or otherwise ignored. (After the [[September 11 attacks]] on the United States in 2001, however, CSE's powers expanded to allow the interception of foreign communications that begin or end in Canada, as long as the other party is outside the border and ministerial authorization is issued specifically for this case and purpose.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/privacy/protecting-privacy-e.html|website=www.cse-cst.gc.ca|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071129214053/http://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/privacy/protecting-privacy-e.html|url-status=dead|title=CSEC : Parliamentary Accountability<!-- Bot generated title -->|archivedate=November 29, 2007}}</ref>

===Governance and oversight===
The [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]] guides and authorizes the activities of CSE using ministerial directives, ministerial authorizations, and [[ministerial order]]s, all of which are based on the "government’s intelligence priorities as set out by [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] through discussion and consultations with the security and intelligence community." The Defence Minister cannot authorize any activities that are not included in the CSE mandate or grant CSE any powers that do not exist in Canadian law.<ref name=":4" />

Ministerial directives are how the Minister of National Defence instructs the Chief of CSE.<ref name=":4" />

CSE operates under a system of independent oversight:<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=2020-10-26|title=Oversight|url=https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/accountability/oversight|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Communications Security Establishment|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033641/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/accountability/oversight|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[National Security and Intelligence Review Agency]] (NSIRA) – NSIRA is fully independent of government and of CSE. Its committee members are appointed by the sitting Prime Minister in consultation with Parliamentary leaders, and handle complaints against all Canadian national security agencies.
* [[Intelligence Commissioner of Canada|Intelligence Commissioner]] – the Intelligence Commissioner is independent of CSE and has oversight of all national security and intelligence gathering activities of the Government of Canada, including CSE.<ref name=":7" /> The Commissioner issues an annual report to the Prime Minister, who must table it in Parliament after removing confidential and classified information. The Commissioner is entitled to receive all reports that are compiled by NSIRA.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tunney|first=Catharine|date=July 18, 2019|title=Canada gets its first-ever intelligence commissioner|publisher=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/intelligence-commissioner-plouffe-1.5216443|access-date=July 26, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724125147/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/intelligence-commissioner-plouffe-1.5216443|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians]] (NSICOP) – NSICOP is a committee of Parliamentarians that have the security clearances to review and report on any aspect of CSE's activities.<ref name=":6" />

CSE activities are also subject to several external oversight and review bodies.<ref name=":6" />

As with any other federal department or agency of Canada, the activities of CSE are also subject to review by various federal bodies, including:<ref name=":6" />

* the [[Privacy Commissioner of Canada|Privacy Commissioner]]
* the [[Information Commissioner of Canada|Information Commissioner]]
* the [[Auditor General of Canada|Auditor General]]
* the [[Canadian Human Rights Commission]]
* the [[Commissioner of Official Languages (Canada)|Commissioner of Official Languages]]

====Heads of the CSE====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Heads of the CSE<ref name=":9" />
!Name
!Appointed
!Notes
|-
! colspan="3" |Examination Unit
|-
|[[Herbert Yardley]]
|1941 June 10
|
|-
|[[Oliver Strachey]]
|1942 January
|
|-
|F.A. (Tony) Kendrick
|1942 July
|
|-
|[[Gilbert de B. Robinson]] (''acting'')
|1945 April
|until July 1945
|-
|Edward Drake
|1945 August 1
|
|-
! colspan="3" |Communications Branch of the National Research Council
|-
|Edward Drake
|1946 September 1
|died in office
|-
|Kevin O’Neill
|1971 February
|
|-
! colspan="3" |Communications Security Establishment
|-
|Peter Hunt
|1980 July
|
|-
|Stewart Woolner
|1989 July
|
|-
|Ian Glen
|1999 July
|
|-
|Keith Coulter
|2001 August
|
|-
|John Adams
|2005 July
|
|-
|John Forster
|2012 January 30
|
|-
|[[Greta Bossenmaier]]
|2015 February 9
|
|-
|Shelly Bruce
|2018 June 27
|
|-
|[[Caroline Xavier]]
|2022 August 31
|
|}

====Communications Security Establishment Commissioner====
Oversight over CSE was formerly provided by the '''Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner''' ('''OCSEC'''; {{Langx|fr|Bureau du commissaire du Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications}}, BCCST), which was created on 19 June 1996 to review CSE's activities for compliance with the applicable legislation, accept and investigate complaints regarding the lawfulness of the agency's activities, and to perform special duties under the '[[Public interest defence|Public Interest Defence]]' clause of the ''[[Security of Information Act]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/mandate/index_e.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324210617/http://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/mandate/index_e.php|url-status=dead|website=www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca|title=OCSEC Mandate|archivedate=March 24, 2010}}</ref> The Commissioner provided an annual public report on his activities and findings to Parliament, through the Minister of National Defence.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Government of Canada|first=OCSEC|title=Overview|url=https://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/en|access-date=2021-05-22|website=www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca|archive-date=2021-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522033640/https://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/en|url-status=live}}</ref>

Between 1996 and 2019, there were six Commissioners:<ref name=":9" />
* [[Claude Bisson]] (1996 June 19 – 2003)
* [[Antonio Lamer]] (2003 June 19 – 2006)
* [[Charles Gonthier]] (2006 August 1 – 2009)
* [[Peter Cory]] (2009 December 14 – 2010)
* Robert Décary (2010 June 18 – 2013)
* [[Jean-Pierre Plouffe]] (2013–2019)<ref>{{cite web|title=News Release - New Commissioner of the Communications Security Establishment Canada Appointed|url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=new-commissioner-of-the-communications-security-establishment-canada-appointed/hmk9z2qi|access-date=2013-10-25|date=2013-10-09|archive-date=2020-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725035130/http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=new-commissioner-of-the-communications-security-establishment-canada-appointed%2Fhmk9z2qi|url-status=live}}</ref>

As part of an omnibus national security bill (the ''[[National Security Act 2017 (Canada)|National Security Act 2017]])'' passed by Parliament in 2019, the OCSEC was abolished and its responsibilities divided between two newly created entities: employees of the OCSEC were transferred to the [[Intelligence Commissioner of Canada|Office of the Intelligence Commissioner]]; and the review functions of the former OCSEC were assumed by the [[National Security and Intelligence Review Agency]] (NSIRA).<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/nationalsecurity/our-security-our-rights/enhancing-accountability-transparency.html|title=Enhancing Accountability and Transparency|last=Canada|first=Public Safety|date=2017-11-22|website=aem|access-date=2019-07-27|archive-date=2019-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723214236/https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/nationalsecurity/our-security-our-rights/enhancing-accountability-transparency.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7" />

The previous Commissioner of CSE, Jean-Pierre Plouffe, was appointed to the role of Intelligence Commissioner on 18 July 2019.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/intelligence-commissioner.html|title=Office of the Intelligence Commissioner|last=Commissioner|first=Office of the Intelligence|date=2019-07-17|website=aem|access-date=2019-07-27|archive-date=2019-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725025332/https://www.canada.ca/en/intelligence-commissioner.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==ECHELON==
{{Global surveillance}}
{{Main|ECHELON}}
Under the 1948 [[UKUSA]] agreement, CSE's intelligence is shared with the [[National Security Agency|U.S. National Security Agency]] (NSA), the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Government Communications Headquarters]] (GCHQ), the [[Australian Signals Directorate]] (ASD), and [[New Zealand]]'s [[Government Communications Security Bureau]] (GCSB).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" />

Along with these services from the United States, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, CSE is believed to form the ECHELON system. Its capabilities are suspected to include the ability to monitor a large proportion of the world's transmitted civilian telephone, fax and data traffic.  The intercepted data, or "dictionaries" are "reported linked together through a high-powered array of computers known as 'Platform'."<ref name=":8">Rudner, Martin. (2007). "Canada's Communications Security Establishment, Signals Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism". ''Intelligence and National Security'': 22(4) pp. 473–490</ref>

==Controversies==
CBNRC and the information it gathered and shared was kept secret for 34 years until 9 January 1974, when the [[CBC Television]] documentary show, ''[[The Fifth Estate (TV program)|The Fifth Estate]]'', aired an episode focused on the organization, with research by [[James Dubro]].<ref name=":2" /> This was the first time that the organization had ever been mentioned in public.<ref name=":1" /> This resulted in an outcry in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] and an admission by the Canadian government that the organization existed.<ref name=":3" />

A former employee of the organization, Mike Frost, claimed in a 1994 book, ''Spyworld'', that the agency eavesdropped on [[Margaret Trudeau]] to find out if she smoked [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] and that CSE had monitored two of former British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s dissenting cabinet ministers in London on behalf of the UK's secret service.<ref>Morris, Nomi (1996). "Inside Canada's most secret agency." ''Maclean's'': 109(36) pp. 32–35</ref>

In 1996, it was suggested that CSE had monitored all communications between [[National Defence Headquarters]] and Somalia, and were withholding information from the [[Somalia Affair|Somalia Inquiry]] into the killing of two unarmed Somalis by Canadian soldiers.<ref name="desb">Desbarats, Peter. "Somalia cover-up: A commissioner's journal", 1997</ref>

In 2006, [[CFCF-TV|CTV Montreal]]'s program ''On Your Side'' conducted a three-part documentary on CSE naming it "Canada's most secretive spy agency" and that "this ultra-secret agency has now become very powerful," conducting surveillance by monitoring phone calls, e-mails, chat groups, radio, microwave, and satellite.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://montreal.ctv.ca/cfcf/news/oys&id=1367 |title=CTV :: Montreal :: News :: On Your Side |date=August 16, 2007 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816033958/http://montreal.ctv.ca/cfcf/news/oys&id=1367 |archive-date=16 August 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2007, former Ontario lieutenant-governor, [[James Bartleman]], testified at the [[Air India Inquiry]] on May 3 that he saw a CSE communications intercept warning of the June 22, 1985 bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]] before it occurred. Two former CSE employees have since testified that no CSE report was ever produced.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/i-warned-rcmp-days-before-air-india-disaster-bartleman-1.665529 |publisher=CBC News |title=I warned RCMP days before Air India disaster: Bartleman |date=May 3, 2007 |access-date=September 10, 2008 |archive-date=May 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070505051339/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/05/03/bartleman-airindia.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, a coalition of [[civil liberties]] associations launched a campaign directed against the government's perceived lack of transparency on issues related to the agency, demanding more information on its purported domestic [[mass surveillance|surveillance]] activities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://secretspying.ca/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616170950/http://secretspying.ca/|url-status=dead|title=secretspying.ca|archivedate=June 16, 2013|website=secretspying.ca}}</ref>

Further criticism has arisen surrounding the construction costs of the agency's new headquarters in [[Ottawa]]. The project is slated to cost over [[Canadian dollar|CA$]]1.1 billion, making it the most expensive government building in Canadian history.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-canada-s-top-secret-billion-dollar-spy-palace-1.1930322 |publisher=CBC News |title=Inside Canada's top-secret billion-dollar spy palace |date=October 8, 2013 |access-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324150756/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-canada-s-top-secret-billion-dollar-spy-palace-1.1930322 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2014, a leaked, top-secret presentation entitled “IP Profiling Analytics & Mission Impacts” summarized experiments tracking the cellphones of travellers passing through [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-used-airport-wi-fi-to-track-canadian-travellers-edward-snowden-documents-1.2517881 |publisher=CBC News |title=CSEC used airport Wi-Fi to track Canadian travellers: Edward Snowden documents |date=January 30, 2014 |access-date=February 15, 2019 |archive-date=February 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212234323/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-used-airport-wi-fi-to-track-canadian-travellers-edward-snowden-documents-1.2517881 |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics argued that the experiment was invasive and indiscriminate, while CSE countered that it was consistent with all relevant laws and mandates.

In 2016, the CSE Commissioner found that one of the agency's metadata activities did not comply with the law. Specifically, CSE had failed to properly minimize certain Canadian identity information before sending it to foreign governments, contravening parts of the ''[[National Defence Act]]'' and the ''[[Privacy Act (Canada)|Privacy Act]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/s41/s60/d352/eng/commissioner-plouffe-report-tabled|title=Commissioner Plouffe's report is tabled in Parliament - 2014-2015|date=28 January 2016|access-date=24 July 2018|archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033250/https://www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/s41/s60/d352/eng/commissioner-plouffe-report-tabled|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Media portrayal===
In ''[[The Good Wife]]'' episode "[[The Good Wife (season 7)|Landing]]," both the [[NSA warrantless surveillance (2001–07)|NSA]] and the CSE are shown monitoring personal phone calls and hacking private cell phones' recording devices in order to listen in on personal conversations. One plaintiff describes the CSE as "the Canadian version of the NSA."

==See also==
* [[Badge of the Communications Security Establishment]]
* [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]] (CSIS)
* [[Cray]]
* [[ECHELON]]
* [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP)
** [[RCMP Security Service]]
* [[Canada security clearance|Security clearances]]
* ''[[Security of Information Act]]''
* [[Treasury Board]]
* [[List of intelligence agencies]]
** [[FAPSI]] (Russia)
** [[GCHQ]] (UK)
** [[National Security Agency]] (US)

==References==

{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=CCfCSBackgrounder>
{{cite web
| url         = https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/backgrounder-fiche-information
| title       = Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: backgrounder-fiche-information
| work        = Communications Security Establishment
| date        = 2018-06-12
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20181004231617/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/backgrounder-fiche-information
| archive-date = 2018-10-04
| access-date  = 2018-10-04
| url-status     = live 
| quote       = As a key initiative of the 2018 National Cyber Security Strategy the cyber security functions from three departments will be united to establish the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre) as one unique, innovative, and forward-looking organization, as part of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE).
}}
</ref>

<ref name=PressRelease2018-06-12>
{{cite press release
| url         = https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/about-apropos/head-cccs-dirigeant-ccc
| title       = Scott Jones, Head-designate, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and Deputy Chief, IT Security, CSE
| work        = Communications Security Establishment
| date        = 2018-06-12
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180628022102/https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/about-apropos/head-cccs-dirigeant-ccc
| archive-date = 2018-06-28
| access-date  = 2018-10-04
| url-status     = live 
| quote       = The Cyber Centre will be a single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the Canadian public.
}}
</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/}}

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