BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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Ex-FBI agent and Pentagon contractor sues over secret recording showing him criticizing Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI agent and Pentagon contractor has sued the founder of a conservative nonprofit known for its hidden camera stings over secretly recorded videos showing the contractor criticizing President Donald Trump to a woman he thought he had taken on a date. Jamie Mannina says in his lawsuit that he was…
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Eby defends investigation into leaked documents that alleged opioid diversion
Premier David Eby has defended his government against Opposition accusations that a police investigation into a leaked document amounted to targeting a whistleblower. Eby said B.C.’s director of police services acted independently and the government couldn’t interfere with their request for an investigation into the leaked document that alleged some pharmacies were diverting prescription opioids…
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Wife of Quesnel mayor claims defamation in lawsuit against city councillor
The wife of Quesnel Mayor Ron Paull is suing a member of city council for defamation over the councillor’s reaction to a book that disputes the history of Canada’s residential schools. In a May 13-filed BC Supreme Court notice of civil claim, Pat Morton accuses Coun. Laurey-Anne Roodenberg of conduct that was “not only defamatory,…
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Your Medical Info Is Not Safe: BC Privacy Watchdog
Provincial health officials haven’t done enough to protect British Columbians’ personal health information from abuse and hacking despite knowing about vulnerabilities for years, a new investigation from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has found. A 2019 internal risk assessment found the Provincial Public Health Information System, run by the Provincial Health Services Authority, lacked…
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N.W.T. announces latest case of private health information mishandled
YELLOWKNIFE — A privacy breach affecting people who stayed at a COVID-19 isolation centre is the latest in a long line of cases of health information being mishandled in the Northwest Territories. Late last week, the N.W.T. Department of Health and Social Services issued notice of the “low-risk” breach involving about 2,000 COVID-19 isolation forms,…
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Elon Musk claims he was doxxed. But what exactly is that?
NEW YORK (AP) — When Twitter abruptly suspended the accounts of several journalists with no explanation, the platform’s owner Elon Musk hinted at the possible reason: They allegedly doxxed him. “You dox, you get suspended. End of story. That’s it,” he said on a Twitter Space audio discussion late Thursday, referring to the act of…
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Personal health information ‘disturbingly’ vulnerable: B.C. privacy commissioner
VICTORIA — Sensitive personal health records of British Columbia residents, from mental health to sexually transmitted disease histories, are “disturbingly” vulnerable to leaks, the provincial privacy watchdog says. Information and privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy says in a report released by his office Thursday that security gaps in the public health computer system put it at…
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Georgia, NH latest states to ban TikTok from state computers
ATLANTA (AP) — Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire on Thursday immediately banned the use of TikTok and popular messaging applications from all computer devices controlled by their state governments, saying the Chinese government may be able to access users’ personal information. Both Republican governors banned the messaging app WeChat…
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Sobeys parent company Empire says cyberattack expected to cost $25M after insurance
Sobeys parent company Empire Co. Ltd. has shared new details on a cyberattack that shut down its pharmacy services and other in-store functions last month. The security breach in early November left customers unable to fill prescriptions for four days, while other in-store functions like self-checkout machines, gift card use and the redemption of loyalty…
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Alberta care home worker shared photos of residents, used bug eyes filter
LAMONT, Alta. — An Alberta health-care worker has been sentenced for taking and sharing photos of long-term care residents, including one that was distorted with a filter. The Lamont Health Care Centre reported the matter to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, which laid charges last year under the province’s Health Information Act. The…
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Will Indigenous sovereignty be on the agenda at COP15?
Msit No’kmaq, Wahkohtawin, Nindinawemaganidog — all loosely translate into the phrase “all my relations,” which is defined by a kinship between beings in the natural world and Mother Earth. It’s a phrase that asserts the symbiotic relationship between Indigenous nations and their lands. Now, as the world prepares to converge on Montreal for the United…