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Leaked e-mails reveal the Calgary Police Service looked seriously last year at purchasing software that would allow investigators to remotely hack cellphones and computers and to surreptitiously monitor activity on those devices even when it is encrypted.

While the head of the force’s electronic surveillance unit insists CPS decided not to purchase the spyware from the Italian company after a demonstration last November, he refused to say whether his officers are using a similar product acquired from another manufacturer.

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“This is not something we are able to release,” Staff Sgt. Ryan Jepson said in an e-mail response to questions.

“Investigative techniques and technologies is not something we publicly discuss in order to protect their effectiveness.”

While Jepson said CPS would only use this type of product if it was authorized by a court, a privacy advocate was aghast at the broad capabilities of the spyware and doubtful about whether judges possess the necessary technical expertise to knowledgeably approve and oversee how it might be used by police.