BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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B.C. quietly allowed an oil and gas giant to sidestep rules for more than 4,300 pipelines
This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and the Investigative Journalism Foundation. The British Columbia government quietly granted one of Canada’s biggest oil and gas companies an exemption for thousands of pipelines that should have been deactivated before a legal deadline, according to documents obtained under freedom of information legislation. In 2020, the BC…
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Cybersecurity provider offering access to free services after breach affecting HSD
After a January “cybersecurity incident” involving unauthorized access to information, the Horizon School Division notified families that PowerSchool – a cloud-based software vendor used by HSD – had been compromised but then reacted quickly to the problem. By Feb. 10, the Division told families that PowerSchool had “initiated the process of notifying involved individuals of the incident about…
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‘JFK’ director Oliver Stone calls for a reinvestigation of Kennedy’s 1963 assassination
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, whose 1991 film “JFK” portrayed President John F. Kennedy’s assassination as the work of a shadowy government conspiracy, called Tuesday for a new congressional investigation of the killing during a hearing that aired conspiracy theories about it. The freewheeling hearing of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, where…
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Security adviser warned PM of public concerns on foreign agent registry: memo
OTTAWA — A newly released memo shows the prime minister’s national security adviser warned him to expect some pushback from planned public consultations about a foreign agent registry, given that countries have used such registries as tools of control. In her memo last August, Jody Thomas told Justin Trudeau the discussions “may elicit a range…
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Pope expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday updated a 2019 church law aimed at holding senior churchmen accountable for covering up sexual abuse cases, expanding it to cover lay Catholic leaders and reaffirming that vulnerable adults and not just children can be victims of abuse when they are unable to freely consent. With the…
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Greens Take Lead to Stop NDAs from Silencing Victims
Susan MacRae wants to talk about what happened to her, but she can’t. As a young girl, MacRae signed a non-disclosure agreement that prohibits her from discussing sexual abuse she suffered, even with family members or therapists. In 2018, a judge upheld that NDA even though the other party — her father — was dead.…
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Utah social media law means kids need approval from parents
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Children and teens in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don’t have parental consent and face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive platforms. Two laws signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox Thursday prohibit kids under…
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France bans TikTok, Twitter from government staff phones
PARIS (AP) — France announced Friday it is banning the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other apps on government employees’ phones because of concern about insufficient data security measures. The move follows similar restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries amid fears about the popular video-sharing app’s Chinese connections. But the French decision also…
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Utah social media law is ambitious, but is it enforceable?
Utah’s sweeping social media legislation passed this week is an ambitious attempt to shield children and teens from the ill effects of social media and empower parents to decide whether their kids should be using apps like TikTok or Instagram. What’s not clear is if — and how — the new rules can be enforced…