BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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People named in JFK assassination documents are not happy their personal information was released
Sensitive personal information including Social Security numbers was revealed in the newly unredacted John F. Kennedy assassination documents released this week, and that is not sitting well with the people affected. Joseph diGenova, a former campaign lawyer for President Donald Trump, was among those whose personal information was disclosed. He said he is planning to…
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Former NFL, Michigan assistant coach Matt Weiss charged with hacking for athletes’ intimate photos
DETROIT (AP) — Former NFL and University of Michigan assistant football coach Matt Weiss hacked into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes seeking intimate photos and videos, according to an indictment filed Thursday. Weiss, who worked for the Baltimore Ravens before joining Michigan’s staff in 2021, was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized…
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Alberta proposes oil-site trespass bill to keep federal workers from grabbing data
Alberta’s government is proposing a law it says would ban federal employees from going on any oil-related sites — from wellheads to corporate head offices — but critics say the province doesn’t have the legal right to do so. Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday the goal is to keep federal staffers away from any place…
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Home Depot gave personal data to Meta without valid customer consent: watchdog
OTTAWA — Retailer Home Depot shared details from electronic receipts with Meta, which owns the social media platform Facebook, without the knowledge or consent of customers, the federal privacy watchdog has found. In a report released Thursday, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said the data included encoded email addresses and in-store purchase information. The commissioner’s investigation…
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Impersonators posing as homeowners linked to 32 fraud cases in Ontario and B.C.
Mortgage and title fraudsters who impersonate homeowners and tenants have targeted at least 32 properties in Ontario and British Columbia, investigators and official warnings suggest. Insurance investigator Brian King, president and CEO of King International Advisory Group, said his firm had received 30 such claims in Ontario. They include six instances of “total title fraud”…
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Feds say ‘no willing partners’ to bring fire codes onto First Nations — including AFN
OTTAWA — The federal government does not have a willing partner to find a way to introduce fire codes on First Nation reserves, a newly released document shows. The senior director for the Indigenous Fire Marshal Service, however, says there are steps Ottawa can take now to better protect communities. “Doing nothing is not an…
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South Dakota’s Noem says cell phone number hacked
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Monday that her personal cell phone number has been hacked and blamed it on the release of her Social Security number amid hundreds of documents that the House Jan. 6 committee released last year. The Republican governor, who is weighing a 2024 White House bid,…
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Washington county mistakenly releases 460,000 partial SSNs
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A county in Washington inadvertently released nearly half a million partial Social Security Numbers when responding to a routine public records request in December, according to county officials. The Pierce County Auditor’s Office, which mistakenly released the sensitive data, said in a news release that the human error was quickly spotted…
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J&J subsidiary to pay $9.75M to resolve kickback allegations
BOSTON (AP) — A subsidiary of health care company Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle allegations that it violated federal and state law by providing free products to a surgeon to induce him to use its products in procedures, prosecutors said Friday. Under the settlement with DePuy Synthes, the…
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SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Justices yet to decide any cases
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has never been so slow. For the first time, the justices have gone more than three months without resolving any cases in which they heard arguments, since their term began in early October. By this point, they always had decided at least one case, and usually a handful, according…