BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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New Mexico jury says Meta harms children’s mental health and safety, violating state law
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico jury determined Tuesday that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms, a verdict that signals a changing tide against tech companies and the government’s willingness to crack down. The landmark decision comes after a nearly seven-week trial,…
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RCMP make arrest, urge people to be wary of cold calls offering phone upgrades
RCMP in Alberta are warning people to be careful if they get a call out of the blue asking them if they want to upgrade their phone. Police say fraudsters are cold calling people asking if they want an upgrade. They say it all sounds very legitimate and the fraudsters will try to pry personal…
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Ford says privacy commissioner opposing record restrictions ‘politically driven’
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday he believes the information and privacy commissioner, who is speaking out about changes he is making to freedom-of-information laws, is “politically driven.” The government announced this month that records of the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants and their offices will no longer be subject to public disclosure. Ford said…
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Federal judge dismisses Justice Department lawsuit seeking Oregon’s voter rolls
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking Oregon’s unredacted voter rolls on Monday in another setback to wide-ranging efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to get detailed voter data from states. In a hearing, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said he would dismiss the suit and issue…
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Customers react negatively to N.S. utility asking customers to conserve energy
A request from Nova Scotia’s power utility to conserve energy is being met with less than favourable reactions online. Nova Scotia Power posted on social media several times over the weekend, asking customers to conserve energy as extremely cold temperatures hit the province. In response, comments and reactions to the request did not hold back. …
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Portage la Prairie school touts effectiveness of anonymous tipline
School leaders in Portage la Prairie are recommending the wider use of anonymous tiplines to monitor safety issues and other pressing concerns among students in Manitoba. A recent government-mandated review of safety protocols in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 schools has renewed one rural division’s support for its online reporting system. For the better part of the last…
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Chinese asylum seeker who exposed rights abuses fights to stay in the US
WASHINGTON (AP) — Guan Heng, who exposed human rights abuses in his native China, has been in U.S. custody since being swept up in an immigration enforcement operation in August. He says he dares not even think about what would happen to him if he were sent back. “I would be prosecuted, I would be…
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Judge rules Trump administration must keep funding child care subsidies in 5 states for now
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep federal funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in five Democratic-controlled states — at least for now. The ruling Friday from U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick extends by two weeks a temporary one issued earlier this month that blocked…
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‘Dark day’: Former cop gets 7 years for selling drugs, photographing dead woman
A former Winnipeg police officer who sold drugs to colleagues and took a photo of a dead woman has been handed a seven-year prison sentence in a case that rocked the force and had a judge questioning the extent of police corruption. “Today is a dark day for public confidence in the administration of justice,”…
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Massive Edmonton care home battling mice infestation, droppings
Alberta’s Opposition is calling for action and more transparency in the wake of a prolonged mouse infestation at one of Edmonton’s biggest long-term care homes. Covenant Health, along with Assisted Living Minister Jason Nixon, declined requests from The Canadian Press to provide the most recent health inspection report for the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre,…
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Government plans to bring forward online harms bill, AI minister says
The federal government is working on online harms legislation, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Friday. Solomon told reporters Culture Minister Marc Miller will bring the bill forward. The bill would be separate from privacy legislation Solomon is expected to introduce, and from a justice bill the government tabled last year that includes elements criminalizing…