BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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N.S. premier using false information as reason against updating privacy legislation
As Tim Houston stands in the Nova Scotia legislature, he looks around and begins to address the room. Houston says that when he was first elected premier, there was a freedom of information request that “gave (me) pause.” The premier says he thinks he knows who sent the request in but can’t be sure. The…
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Instacart ends a program where users could see different prices for the same item at the same store
NEW YORK (AP) — Instacart said Monday that it’s ending a program where some customers saw different prices for the same product ordered at the same time from the same store when using the delivery company’s service. The program was meant to help grocers and other retailers learn more about what kinds of prices customers…
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Italy antitrust agency fines Apple $116 million over privacy feature; Apple announces appeal
ROME (AP) — Italy’s antitrust authority fined Apple 98.6 million euros ($116 million) on Monday after determining that operating one of its privacy features restricted App Store competition. Apple said it would appeal the sanction. Apple abused its dominant position with its App Tracking Transparency, ATT, policy, which forces apps to obtain permission before collecting…
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Leadership issues dominate opening session of teachers’ union AGM
Manitoba teachers want answers about how their top union officials plan to bring about stability at their Portage Avenue headquarters after “a rough year.” More than 330 delegates are registered to take part in the 106th annual general meeting of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society this week. Formal proceedings kicked off Thursday morning with an impromptu…
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Privacy and hunger groups sue over USDA attempt to collect personal data of SNAP recipients
Privacy and hunger relief groups and a handful of people receiving food assistance benefits are suing the federal government over the Trump administration’s attempts to collect the personal information of millions of U.S. residents who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., on Thursday says the U.S. Department of Agriculture…
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Local dog-kennel owners request exemption from microchipping requirement in amended Wellesley bylaw
A new amendment to the Township of Wellesley’s dog-kennel bylaw removing tattooing as an acceptable form of identification for dogs and puppies, thereby leaving microchipping as the only option locally, has several local kennel owners questioning the future of their operations. At township council’s May 13 meeting, councillors heard from two local kennel owners seeking…
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Nova Scotia Power confirms server breach was ‘sophisticated’ ransomware attack
Nova Scotia Power confirmed on Friday what cybersecurity experts have suspected for weeks — that it was the victim of a ransomware attack. In an update posted to its website, the private utility said that no payment was made to the person or group behind the “sophisticated” attack. It refused to pay the ransom, it…
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Class-action lawsuit filed in B.C. over 2009 Interior Health data breach
British Columbia’s Interior Health Authority has been hit with a class-action lawsuit over a data breach in 2009 that allegedly compromised thousands of employees’ personal information that ended up being sold on the dark web. The lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday says the data breach occurred in December 2009, exposing “highly sensitive”…
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FTC dismisses lawsuit against PepsiCo that was filed by Biden-era FTC
The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission voted Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit against PepsiCo that the previous commission filed in the waning days of the Biden administration. The lawsuit, filed in January, alleged that PepsiCo was giving unfair price advantages to Walmart at the expense of other vendors and consumers. The lawsuit had relied on the…
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‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic African nation of South Sudan, a federal judge said Wednesday, hours after the Trump administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes but refused to reveal where they would end…
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This US Snitch Line Reports Canadians Providing Gender-Affirming Care
The U.S. government is collecting data on health-care workers providing gender-affirming care in Canada. In mid-April the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a “snitch line” website where anyone could report health-care workers in Canada or the United States performing “chemical and surgical mutilations of children,” which is how the current administration describes…