BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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House votes overwhelmingly to force release of Epstein files, sending bill to Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill Tuesday to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. When a…
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School boards caught unprepared in mass student data breach: provincial watchdogs
Privacy watchdogs in Ontario and Alberta issued their findings Tuesday after investigating a mass data breach of a student information system used across Canada, concluding that school boards lacked adequate breach response plans, among other issues. Ontario’s privacy commissioner says PowerSchool, a software and storage company for school systems in the U.S. and Canada, was…
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Takeaways from AP’s report on a surge in Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The number of Palestinians dying in Israeli custody surged to nearly 100 people since the start of the war in Gaza, according to a report published Monday by a human rights group that says systematic violence and denial of medical care at prisons and detention centers contributed to many of…
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Senate committee recommends Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation as Trump’s labor secretary
A Senate committee voted Thursday to advance the nomination of President Donald Trump’s choice to head the Department of Labor, one of the agencies named in lawsuits over moves by Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team to access federal data systems. Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions voted 14-9 to recommend Lori…
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No new bombshells in Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday released government documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the first wave of files posted on the Justice Department website have largely been circulating in the public domain for years and didn’t include any new bombshells about the sex trafficking case that has been a…
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Newcomers group seeks home
The Newcomers Support Team met with town council at the February 19 Governance and Priorities meeting to give some information about their group. Laurie Andrews, the executive director for Drayton Valley Community Learning, along with Verna Wicks with DVCL, and Sheen Tamayo, a recent newcomer to the community, gave an update on what they’ve been…
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N.S. premier restores legislature scrums amid accusations of assault on press freedom
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has agreed to resume taking part in media scrums in the legislature after facing accusations he was curtailing press freedom. Two weeks ago, Houston ended the long-standing tradition of government ministers having informal exchanges with media — known as scrums — outside the legislative chamber. His government decided journalists should…
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One Tech Tip: Getting a lot of unwanted phone calls? Here are ways to stop them
LONDON (AP) — Unwanted phone calls are out of control. Whether it’s a robocall trying to sell you something or spam calls from scammers trying to rip you off, it’s enough to make you want to stop answering your phone. So what can you do to stop them? The scourge of unwanted phone calls has…
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Gabbard decries Britain’s reported demand for Apple to provide backdoor access to users’ cloud data
WASHINGTON (AP) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she has serious concerns about the British government’s reported demand that Apple provide backdoor access to any data stored in the cloud. In a written response to members of Congress, Gabbard said this week that such a demand would violate Americans’ rights and raise concerns…
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Georgia election board drops suit after group fails to produce ballot-stuffing evidence
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia State Election Board on Wednesday voted to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to enforce a subpoena against a conservative group that was unable to produce evidence to support its claims of ballot stuffing in the state. Texas-based True the Vote in 2021 filed complaints with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, including…