News Category

News Category


Ontario man accused of stealing Texas Republican Party data pleads guilty in Canada

Lawyers for an Ontario man accused of stealing and leaking Texan Republican Party data in 2021 say he has pleaded guilty before a Canadian court. In a statement released this afternoon, Arash Ghiassi and Riaz Sayani say Aubrey Cottle has “formally accepted his role” in the hacking of the party’s website five years ago.  Ghiassi […]

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Fees for public records? A bill could kneecap California transparency laws

A bill winding its way through Sacramento right now would make some of the biggest changes in decades to the California Public Records Act — the 58-year-old state law that guarantees everyone has access to government documents and data. Proponents argue AB 1821 is necessary to help local governments weather a deluge of burdensome requests […]

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‘Where’s animal welfare services?’: Marineland whistleblower claims injured deer, elk being sent to slaughterhouses

A large, dark wound protrudes from the side of the deer’s head, stretching from the base of its antler toward its ear. The animal’s big, dark eyes reflect a weary helplessness.  That’s the hauntingly “heartbreaking” image that stared back at animal rights lawyer Kaitlyn Mitchell from her computer screen after a Marineland employee reached out […]

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Transparency Systems Must Themselves Be Transparent

FIPA report calls for a new way to understand whether B.C.’s freedom of information system is working.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Victoria, B.C. 2026.06.18 — The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) is releasing Drawing Access Together, a report based on over three years of research into the province’s freedom of information (FOI) systems.   The report finds that most public bodies do not maintain documented standards […]

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Privacy experts and civil liberties groups denounce the Liberal government’s shut down of much-needed debate on dangerous state surveillance bill C-22

The federal government has rammed the controversial Lawful Access Act through Parliament despite massive opposition. June 18, 2026, OTTAWA – Twenty-one civil liberties organizations, privacy groups and individual experts are deeply alarmed that, late last night, the federal government cut off debate at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on the very […]

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Former Calgary leaders opposing police request to keep phones seized in investigation

The lawyer for former Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek is arguing police have no reason to hold onto her phone any longer as they investigate her and others for municipal corruption. “An admission that there is no timeline, that there’s no capability, there’s not specific step plan for this phone within the year is the opposite […]

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15 countries in Kenya adopt the Mombasa Declaration to fight illegal fishing

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific adopted a declaration on Wednesday to step up efforts to combat illegal fishing, a practice that experts say costs the world economy up to $50 billion annually. The Mombasa Declaration, named after the Kenyan city hosting the 11th Our Ocean […]

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Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers

Police in some of Quebec’s largest metropolitan regions have handed out thousands of fines over the past six years to citizens for allegedly hurling insults at officers or other municipal officials, according to internal data obtained by The Canadian Press.  Quebec City police have largely driven these numbers, issuing 11,092 fines between April 1, 2020, […]

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New federal hate crime legislation misses the mark, threatening free expression and other Charter rights: civil liberties coalition

June 17, 2026, OTTAWA–The adoption of Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, without necessary amendments presents a new and significant risk to Charter rights and civil liberties of all people in Canada, including those communities that the government wishes to help protect, says a Canadian civil liberties coalition. The ICLMG has observed with distress the […]

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Much Needed Online Safety Rules Must Not be Used as Backdoor to Expand Terrorism, Violent Extremism Definitions

June 16, 2026, OTTAWA – A civil liberties coalition is raising concerns that the government’s new Safe Social Media Act, Bill C-34, will serve as a backdoor to broaden the definition of terrorism, introduce a new definition of violent extremism, and expand what could be considered a terrorism offence. The inclusion of these new definitions […]

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Joint Letter Calls for Action!

Civil Society calls on Federal Political Leaders to Bring their Parties Under Privacy Law. More than thirty-five organizations, experts, and civil society groups are calling on Canada’s federal leaders to close a major gap in privacy protection by bringing federal political parties under Canada’s privacy laws. June 17, 2026 – In an open letter addressed to […]

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Ottawa’s new surveillance pricing rules not likely to take effect before 2028

The federal government wants to be “super careful” as it tackles surveillance pricing, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said after tabling the government’s new privacy bill. Under the plan outlined by Solomon, those rules on surveillance pricing are unlikely to be in place before 2028. “It’s very easy to say just ban using personal information […]

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