BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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FOI documents reveal St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe used municipal tax dollars for Ford campaign event which is prohibited
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe used municipal assets and senior staff to coordinate his attendance in a staged campaign event for Doug Ford during last month’s provincial election campaign. The apparent violation of rules that govern Siscoe’s conduct was revealed in documents obtained by The Pointer through a Freedom of Information investigation. The documents show…
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France’s antitrust watchdog fines Apple for problems with App Tracking Transparency
PARIS (AP) — France’s antitrust watchdog fined Apple 150 million euros ($162 million) on Monday over a privacy feature protecting users from apps snooping on them because its introduction resulted in abuse of competition law. The French Competition Authority said the aim of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) requiring iPhone and iPad apps to ask…
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Nonprofit groups and Democrats sue Trump administration over election executive order
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to overhaul the nation’s elections faced its first legal challenges Monday as the Democratic National Committee and a pair of nonprofits filed two separate lawsuits calling it unconstitutional. The Campaign Legal Center and the State Democracy Defenders Fund brought the first lawsuit Monday afternoon. The…
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Names, photos of Los Angeles undercover police posted online
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles police chief and the department’s constitutional policing director are under investigation after the names and photographs of undercover officers were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online, the Los Angeles Times reported. LAPD Chief Michel Moore offered his “deep apologies” to the undercover officers, who…
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Trudeau stayed in $6,000 London hotel suite for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
OTTAWA — The Prime Minister’s Office says Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, stayed in a $6,000 per night hotel suite while attending the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II. The stay at the Corinthia London hotel became the subject of public debate last fall when media honed in on the details of the…
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Pope Francis’s tour came with a minimum $55 million price tag for Ottawa
A family member of residential school survivors says the minimum $55-million price tag for the Pope’s visit to Canada last year feels like another slap in the face for Indigenous people. “Think of all the money that could have gone to survivors, all of the money that could have gone to healing, all of the…
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Why TikTok’s security risks keep raising fears
The battle between the U.S. and China over TikTok comes into full view on Thursday when the social media platform’s CEO testifies before Congressional lawmakers. Shou Zi Chew’s hearing is happening at what he’s called a “pivotal moment” for the hugely popular short video sharing app. TikTok is owned by parent company ByteDance, which has…
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‘Nobody’s perfect,’ Joly says of Afghan evacuation, as Tories question plaque
OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says it was “a messy situation” trying to help Afghans escape the Taliban, as Conservatives questioned her department’s decision to install a plaque commemorating the August 2021 airlift. “I can’t turn back the clock,” Joly told the House of Commons immigration committee, where she was questioned about the…
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TikTok CEO to tell Congress app is safe, urge against ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok’s CEO plans to tell Congress that the video-sharing app is committed to user safety, data protection and security, and keeping the platform free from Chinese government influence. Shou Zi Chew is due to answer questions Thursday from U.S. lawmakers concerned about the social media platform’s effects on its young user base…
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TikTok sends influencers to Washington as its troubles grow
WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok is ramping up a public relations campaign to fend off the possibility of a nationwide ban by the Biden administration, and it’s bringing some unconventional advocates to help: online influencers. Dozens of TikTok creators — some with millions of followers on the video-sharing app — came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday…
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Alberta information commissioner to investigate Kearl tailings leak notifications
EDMONTON — Alberta’s information commissioner has started an investigation into how the province’s energy regulator notified the public about tailings pond releases at Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine. “Information and Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod has launched an investigation into the Alberta Energy Regulator concerning AER’s consideration of the public interest override,” said a news release Wednesday…