BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Pembina Trails conducts deep-dive into hacked files
Cybersecurity experts are scanning a new dataset of leaked files from 12 schools in south Winnipeg for passport scans and social insurance numbers. The Pembina Trails School Division updated staff and student families Thursday about its ongoing probe into a cybersecurity attack that has paralyzed the organization since it was flagged Dec. 2. Superintendent Shelley…
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Appellate court won’t lift restrictions on DOGE access to Social Security information
A federal appeals court says it won’t lift restrictions on the access that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has to Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The full panel of judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 9-6 to keep the ruling from U.S. District Judge Ellen…
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Investigators don’t know who leaked a Wisconsin Supreme Court draft abortion order
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Investigators concluded in a report released Wednesday that the leak of a Wisconsin Supreme Court abortion order last year was likely deliberate, but they were unable to determine who was responsible. The June leak of a draft order showed the court would take a case brought by Planned Parenthood, which is…
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Manitoba government set to run more advertising in lead up to October election
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is taking out more advertising in the lead-up to the Oct. 3 provincial election and has more leeway to do so under recent changes to provincial law. The Progressive Conservative government has budgeted $375,500 for the latest phase of advertising promoting its recent agreement with the federal government to offer…
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N.S. identifies thousands more victims of global data hack, including school workers
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Cybersecurity Minister Colton LeBlanc says his department has identified thousands more people affected by a recent global data breach, and this week it is beginning the process of notifying the “most vulnerable” victims of the hack. But LeBlanc told a news conference Wednesday it’s hard to give a precise estimate of…
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Improving transparency ‘not a priority’ for the Trudeau government: info watchdog
OTTAWA — The federal government’s key transparency provision has steadily eroded to the point where it no longer serves its intended purpose, says information commissioner Caroline Maynard. In her annual report to Parliament tabled Tuesday, Maynard said chronic issues continue to plague the access-to-information system, with no solutions in sight. For a $5 fee, Canadians…
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White House promotes spying law, says surveillance has caught hackers, fentanyl smugglers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has used electronic surveillance programs to catch fentanyl smugglers and the hackers who temporarily shut down a major U.S. fuel pipeline, the White House said Tuesday as part of its push to have those programs renewed by Congress. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expires at the end…
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UN chief calls for coordinated global action on disinformation, hate and artificial intelligence
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The proliferation of hate and lies on digital platforms and the threat that artificial intelligence can become an uncontrolled “monster” demand coordinated global action — starting with a code of conduct for governments, tech companies and advertisers that promotes truth and protects human rights, the U.N. chief said Monday. Secretary-General Antonio…
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Governments and industry must balance ethical concerns in the race for AI dominance
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. Author: Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Concordia University The CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, recently testified before United States senators that AI “could…
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Hong Kong launches bid to attract Canadian companies, but rights group warns of risks
Hong Kong’s government is betting that Canadian companies and other overseas businesses will put profits over politics as it tries to lure talent and industry back to the city that has been cracking down on dissent after quashing a pro-democracy protest movement. A Toronto-based official involved in the pitch that was advertised in Canadian newspapers…
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Lawyer for Bernardo victims says families told of transfer the day it happened
OTTAWA — The families of convicted killer and rapist Paul Bernardo’s victims didn’t learn that he was being transferred to a different prison until the day it happened, the correctional service confirmed Friday. Tim Danson, who represents the families of two of Bernardo’s victims, said in an open letter Friday that the family of Kristen…