BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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Ford government obfuscated Greenbelt records through code words: commissioner
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government broke its legal, record-keeping obligations amid its now-reversed decision to open up parts of the protected Greenbelt lands for housing, the province’s information and privacy commissioner has found. Political staff were using code words to thwart document requests and left a surprisingly small paper trail for such a consequential policy,…
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Supreme Court of Canada to hear appeal in long-running Facebook privacy case
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to review a ruling that concluded Facebook broke federal privacy law by failing to adequately inform users of risks to their data when using the popular social media platform. Last September, the Federal Court of Appeal found Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms, did not obtain the meaningful…
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Legal experts gear up to challenge Bill 5 as First Nations pledge to ‘close Ontario’s economy’
Rallies for endangered species. Protests led by First Nations. A filibuster from the NDP. More than 4,000 amendments tabled by the Liberals. Two committee hearings with Indigenous leaders, legal experts, labour representatives, and more. Despite all of it, Bill 5 passed. On June 5, as Ontarians across the province struggled to breathe through smoke-filled air…
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Nova Scotia information commissioner to investigate file sharing cybersecurity breach
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s information and privacy commissioner has launched an investigation into the theft of personal information from a file-transfer system used by the provincial government. In June, the government confirmed a cybersecurity breach involving a third-party system known as MoveIt. Tricia Ralph issued a statement Thursday saying the system was used by many public bodies,…
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Whistleblower allegation: Harvard muzzled disinfo team after $500 million Zuckerberg donation
A prominent disinformation scholar who left Harvard University in August has accused the school of muzzling her speech and stifling — then dismantling — her research team as it launched a deep dive in late 2021 into a trove of Facebook files she considers the most important documents in internet history. The actions impacting Joan…
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Democracy group calls for Nova Scotia right to information law overhaul
HALIFAX — A Canadian centre that promotes democracy around the world is calling for an overhaul of Nova Scotia’s freedom of information law to reduce exemptions and give the appeal process more teeth. The Centre for Law and Democracy is among the early submitters to an internal review committee created by the Progressive Conservative government,…
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Spanish newspaper association files multimillion euro suit against Meta over advertising practices
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European Union rules on data protection. In a statement, the Information Media Association said it is demanding 550 million euros ($600 million) from the social media…
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Democracy group calls for Nova Scotia right to information law overhaul
HALIFAX — A Canadian centre that promotes democracy around the world is calling for an overhaul of Nova Scotia’s freedom of information law to reduce exemptions and give the appeal process more teeth. The Centre for Law and Democracy is among the early submitters to an internal review committee created by the Progressive Conservative government, about two…
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Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh Newfoundland jail, officials confirm
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — An inmate has died at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating provincial jails in the country. Officials with the provincial Justice Department confirmed today that the man died after he was taken to hospital on Saturday. The department said in an email that the inmate’s “sudden death”…
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CSIS to probe B.C. office after allegations of rape, harassment and toxic workplace
Canada’s spy agency has launched a workplace assessment of its British Columbia office over what it calls “serious allegations” raised by whistleblowers, who say they were sexually assaulted and harassed by a senior officer. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said the officer who was “implicated” in the allegations — made public in an investigation by…
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CSIS whistleblowers faced hurdles seeking justice and telling their stories
Canadian Security Intelligence Service employees who say the agency’s British Columbia office is a toxic workplace have faced a series of hurdles in speaking out — including a law against identifying themselves or colleagues. The Canadian Press has published an investigation into claims by the covert officers, including two who say they were sexually assaulted…