BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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University of Winnipeg employee calls for investigation into university’s leadership under whistleblower law
A University of Winnipeg employee has filed a whistleblower report that calls for a probe into overall operations at the post-secondary institution amid mounting concerns about its leadership. The Free Press obtained a six-page submission to the Manitoba ombudsman about the publicly funded institution under president Todd Mondor. It echoes concerns on campus about employee…
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Coinbase said cyber crooks stole customer information and demanded $20 million ransom payment
Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.S., said Thursday that criminals had improperly obtained personal data on the exchange’s customers for use in crypto-stealing scams and were demanding a $20 million payment not to publicly release the info. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in a social media post that criminals had bribed some…
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Ex-FBI agent and Pentagon contractor sues over secret recording showing him criticizing Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI agent and Pentagon contractor has sued the founder of a conservative nonprofit known for its hidden camera stings over secretly recorded videos showing the contractor criticizing President Donald Trump to a woman he thought he had taken on a date. Jamie Mannina says in his lawsuit that he was…
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Kansas police and a small newspaper are at the center of a 1st Amendment fight after a newsroom raid
MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech as the newspaper struggled Monday to publish its next edition, days after police raided its office and the home of its owner and publisher. Officials with the Marion Police Department confiscated…
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Canadian News Organizations Seek Competition Bureau Probe into Meta’s News Content Blockade
In a joint effort, News Media Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, and CBC/Radio-Canada have formally applied with Canada’s Competition Bureau, urging an investigation into Meta’s alleged misuse of its dominant position by blocking news content on its digital platforms within the country. The consortium contends that Meta’s actions are an apparent attempt to exert…
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Don’t expect quick fixes in ‘red teaming’ of AI models. Security was an afterthought
BOSTON (AP) — White House officials concerned by AI chatbots’ potential for societal harm and the Silicon Valley powerhouses rushing them to market are heavily invested in a three-day competition ending Sunday at the DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas. Some 3,500 competitors have tapped on laptops seeking to expose flaws in eight leading large-language…
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Quebecor stops paying rent at legislature, says 100K fee a threat to democracy
Montreal-based media and telecom conglomerate Quebecor has announced it will stop paying rent for the office its political journalists use in one of Quebec’s legislature buildings in the provincial capital. The company, which owns television station TVA and newspapers Journal de Montreal and Journal de Quebec, says its rent amounts to $8,448 per month —…
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Cyberattack on government service provider exposes records of 1.4 million Albertans
EDMONTON — An Alberta government service provider says the records of more than 1.4 million residents were the target of a cyberattack last month. Alberta Dental Service Corporation says in a news release that a third party gained unauthorized access to part of its information technology infrastructure. It says that third party was able to…
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BC Moves Closer to Gig Worker Protection Laws
British Columbia’s labour minister plans to soon pass new laws guaranteeing basic pay, rights and protections for tens of thousands of gig workers. Harry Bains’s office has launched a call for proposals that could see new requirements placed on companies like Uber, DoorDash and Lyft, whose drivers and delivery workers work without minimum pay, sick…
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Worldcoin scans eyeballs and offers crypto. What to know about the project from OpenAI’s CEO
NEW YORK (AP) — Weeks after its international launch, Worldcoin is drawing the attention of privacy regulators around the world, with the Kenya’s government going so far as to shut down the service indefinitely. The international ID startup, backed by big names in Silicon Valley, is now having to defend itself in investigations over whether…
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Tennessee hospital faces civil rights investigation over release of transgender health records
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ investigation comes just weeks after two patients sued VUMC for releasing their records to Attorney…