BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
-
Businessman who blew the whistle on a South African government bribery scandal gets plea deal
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A businessman who confessed to being a fixer who delivered bribes to South African government officials, lawmakers and others in a corruption scheme that enraged the nation avoided jail time in a plea deal announced Thursday by state prosecutors. Angelo Agrizzi, who provided dramatic testimony at an inquiry into…
-
The Congressional Budget Office was hacked. It says it has implemented new security measures
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday confirmed it had been hacked, potentially disclosing important government data to malicious actors. The small government office, with some 275 employees, provides objective, impartial analysis to support lawmakers during the budget process. It is required to produce a cost estimate for nearly every bill approved by…
-
Parliamentary committee revises order to share federal grant applicant data
data on researchers who applied for health and science grants. The Standing Committee on Health and Research had originally sought details on student and faculty applications to three agencies between 2000 and 2025 but now says it will accept anonymized, high-level data that better preserves privacy. The motion seeks information collected by the Social Sciences…
-
Former GM site in St. Catharines a lasting reminder of environmental damage from heavy industry
When Melinda Lortie became a mother, her perspective on much of her surrounding world shifted. “Motherhood really has made me mad at the world. I love my daughter more than anything in this world, there truly is nothing else that tops her importance to me. I love every part of being a mom. My anger…
-
ACLU files lawsuit on behalf of Arkansas librarian fired after opposing book censorship effort
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of an Arkansas librarian who was fired after she spoke out against efforts to restrict the public’s access to certain books. The ACLU of Arkansas filed the lawsuit on behalf of former Saline County Library Director Patty Hector, who…
-
Elon Musk says President Donald Trump has ‘agreed’ USAID should be shut down
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Agency for International Development is on the cusp of being shuttered, according the Trump administration’s billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk — who has been wrestling for control of the agency in recent days. Early Monday, Musk held a live session on X Spaces, previously known as Twitter Spaces,…
-
Pentagon strips travel reimbursement for troops seeking abortions, fertility treatment
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will no longer reimburse service members for travel out of state to get reproductive health care, including abortions and fertility treatments, according to a new memo. The directive signed this week eliminates a rarely used Biden administration policy enacted in October 2022, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.…
-
Tour guide at former Colorado gold mine fell out of elevator after apparently not latching door
DENVER (AP) — A tour guide killed at a former Colorado gold mine last year fell out of a crowded elevator taking tourists below ground after apparently not latching its door closed, documents obtained by The Associated Press show. As the elevator descended, the door swung out and caught the side of the mine shaft,…
-
South Carolina death row inmate maintains his innocence and won’t ask for clemency
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the final appeal of a South Carolina inmate, he decided not to ask the governor for clemency, saying he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison for a murder he has always insisted he did not commit. Marion Bowman Jr., 44,…
-
CDSBEO not affected by PowerSchool data breach
KEMPTVILLE – A recent rash of cyberattacks and data breaches have impacted school boards across a number of jurisdictions since Christmas, but the local English-Catholic board is not one of those affected. Officials with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario confirmed that it is not affected by the recent PowerSchool Inc. breach, or…
-
Over 50,000 students exposed by data breach
BROCKVILLE – A cyberattack in early January has resulted in an extensive data breach at the region’s largest school board. Administration at the Upper Canada District School Board announced in an update on the ongoing internet issues at the board that an extensive data breach has been discovered. Students who enrolled or attended a UCDSB…