Questions and responses 41st Parliament, 2nd session October 16, 2013, to August 2, 2015

With regard to mobile applications, broken down by department and individual project, for each fiscal year since 2008-2009, up to and including the current fiscal year, what is the total amount spent on (i) the development, (ii) the maintenance and update, of mobile applications?

With regard to government-created mobile applications for each fiscal year since 2008-2009 up to and including the current fiscal year: for each application, broken down by department and individual project, (a) what is the total number of downloads; and (b) what is the total number of active users?

With regard to software used by the government on all digital platforms: (a) what software is permitted for use, broken down by (i) servers, (ii) workstations and desktops, (iii) laptops and portable computers, (iv) personal digital assistants, cell phones and other personal electronics, (v) rationale; (b) for each subsection of (a), what software is banned from use; (c) for each subsection of (a) and (b), where is this software developed; and (d) for each subsection of (a) and (b), if the software is not released as an “open source“ (as defined by the Open Source Initiative) or “free software“ (as defined by the Free Software Foundation), are viable open source or free software alternatives available, (i) have they been explored, (ii) what was the rationale for their rejection?

With respect to software developed by the government since January 2011 for use by any non-government entity or the public, including, without limitation, software programs, mobile applications, website applications, embedded systems, and all other programming done by or on behalf of the government: (a) what were all names for the software, broken down by dates of use; (b) on what date was the software released for public use, or on what day is its public release anticipated; (c) through what means is the software accessible by its intended users; (d) what was the total cost of developing the software; (e) what is the total revenue generated for the government by the software; (f) how many times has the software been downloaded, copied, or otherwise accessed by its intended audience; (g) how many times has the software been downloaded, copied, or otherwise accessed by anyone other than its intended audience; (h) for what reason was the software developed; (i) for what reason was the software released, or in the case where it has not been and will not be released, for what reason will the software not be released; (j) under what license was the software released; and (k) what are the file numbers and details of all ministerial briefings or departmental correspondence or other government records relating to the software, broken down by (i) minister or department, (ii) relevant file number, (iii) correspondence or file type, (iv) date, (v) purpose, (vi) origin, (vii) intended destination, (viii) other officials copied or involved?

With regard to tracking by government agencies of customers’ usage of communications devices and services: do government agencies use their own (i) tracking products (e.g. "IMSI Catchers"), (ii) infiltration software (e.g. zero day exploits, malware such as FinFisher, etc.), (iii) interception hardware (i.e. placed within or integrated with a company’s network)?

With respect to wireless spectrum auctions and spectrum license requirements, including but not limited to AWS-3 spectrum, 600 Mhz and 3 500 Mhz, broken down by each individual auction and license requirement: (a) does the government have provisions requiring the incorporation of technologies into the wireless networks that allow surveillance and interception capabilities built into their networks; and (b) does the government pay for the costs of these provisions?

With regard to the government’s telecom services, including cell phones, land lines, voice-over-internet, and other, for each fiscal year from 2011-2012 to the present: (a) how much has the government paid for telecom services, broken down by (i) the names of the telecom providers, (ii) the amount paid to each provider, (iii) the number of land lines provided by each provider, (iv) the number of cell phone lines provided by each provider, (v) the number of voice-over-internet lines provided by each provider; (b) how much has the government paid in late fees and to which providers; (c) has the government conducted any internal surveys of telecom services, and, if so, what were the results, broken down by (i) the tracking number and name of the survey, (ii) the questions asked, (iii) the answers provided, (iv) the tracking number and title of any briefing notes created from the survey; (d) how many calls has the telecom help desk received; (e) for each answer provided in (d), (i) what were the most common issues, (ii) where were the calls made, broken down by department; (f) how much has the government collected in fees for 1-900 or 1-800 numbers, broken down by (i) the number, (ii) the amount per number; (g) how much has the government paid for downloading applications on phones, broken down by (i) application, (ii) individual cost; (h) how much has the government paid for texting services, broken down by (i) the name of the service, (ii) the cost; (i) has the government completed any studies on the use of cell or voice-over-internet technology for government employees; and (j) if the answer to (i) is in the affirmative, (i) what are the names and tracking numbers of these studies, (ii) what were the conclusions of these studies, (iii) what are the briefing notes and tracking numbers associated with these studies?