BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Norfolk council OKs new ‘waste and fraud hotline’
As far as Norfolk County’s top civil servant is aware, town hall is not a hotbed of corruption. But chief administrative officer Al Meneses still recommended the municipality set up a “waste and fraud hotline” to allow county employees — and eventually the general public — to anonymously report “inefficiencies and incidents of wrongdoing involving …
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Alberta used lists of America’s most banned books and a controversial database to identify ‘inappropriate’ material in schools
Internal emails throw light on the sources used by Government of Alberta staff to search for “inappropriate” materials in school libraries, including an index of America’s most banned books and a website linked to the rise in attempts to ban books in the U.S. Alberta’s Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced in May the…
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UK arrests four people over cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods
LONDON (AP) — Four people alleged to be part of an organized crime ring were arrested Thursday for damaging cyber attacks that hit British retailers Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods, the National Crime Agency said. The unnamed suspects were identified as British males aged 17 and 19, a 20-year-old British woman and a 19-year-old…
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Canada, B.C. legislation would tackle ‘toxic’ online products: Facebook whistleblower
A woman who blew the whistle about Facebook ignoring potential harms to users of the social media platform says proposed laws by Canada and B.C. have promise to hold tech companies to account for profiting off harmful content. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, says big tech companies such as Facebook’s parent company Meta…
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Utah governor replaces social media laws for youth as state faces lawsuits
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s governor has approved an overhaul of social media laws meant to protect children as the state fends off multiple lawsuits challenging their constitutionality. Republican legislative leaders announced at the start of this year’s 45-day work session that they would prioritize revising a pair of policies passed last year that…
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Victoria police notebook left in possession of suspected criminal for eight days
Police in Victoria say they are looking into digital alternatives after another lost notebook resulted in a privacy breach affecting 54 people. The latest case happened in February when an officer serving a search warrant mistakenly left a notebook at the scene. Police say the notebook containing the personal information of 54 people was in…
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Trump-backed Senate candidate faces GOP worries that he could be linked to adult website profile
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Republicans eager to regain the Senate majority this year, Ohio offers a prime opportunity to pick up a critical seat. But ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, there’s mounting anxiety inside the GOP that Bernie Moreno may emerge with the nomination. After vaulting into the top tier of contenders with a coveted…
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How the AP reported that someone with access to Bernie Moreno’s email created adult website profile
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press reported Thursday that someone with access to a work email account for Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno created a profile in late 2008 on an adult website, seeking casual sexual encounters with men. The story relied on records from a number of publicly available sources of information, including…
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Europe asks Google, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms how they’re reducing generative AI risks
LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators on Thursday ratcheted up scrutiny of big tech companies including Google, Facebook and TikTok with requests for information on how they’re dealing with risks from generative artificial intelligence, such as the viral spread of deepfakes. The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, has sent questionnaires about the ways that…
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Despite positive steps in British Columbia, animal welfare in disaster management remains overlooked
This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. ___ Disasters serve as focusing events, providing a “window of opportunity” to reassess practices, propose new policies and animate the human decisions that make communities vulnerable…
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The massive health care hack is now being investigated by the federal Office of Civil Rights
Federal civil rights investigators are looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare. The Office for Civil Rights said Wednesday that it also will examine whether Change Healthcare followed laws protecting patient privacy. Change Healthcare provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims — and handles about…