BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Columbia student data stolen by politically motivated hacker, university says
NEW YORK (AP) — A politically motivated hacker breached Columbia University’s data systems last week, stealing troves of student documents while briefly shutting down the school’s computer systems, a university official said. The June 24 cyberattack prompted widespread network outages on campus, locking students and staff out of their email accounts, coursework and video conference…
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Figures suggest six-figure payout for former Manitoba Hydro CEO
The former head of Manitoba Hydro was paid just over $881,000 last year, despite being dismissed six weeks into the year. Jay Grewal’s earnings in previous years, where she had worked a full year, ranged from $500,000 to $546,000. The amount last year, revealed in an annual Manitoba Hydro compensation report, suggests a large lump…
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Denmark arrests a man wanted in Germany for allegedly gathering information on Jews for Iran
BERLIN (AP) — A man suspected of gathering information on Jewish locations and individuals in Berlin for Iranian intelligence, possibly with a view to attacks, has been arrested in Denmark, German prosecutors said Tuesday. The Danish national, identified only as Ali S. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested on Thursday in the Danish…
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Mormon church fined $5M for obscuring size of portfolio
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its investment arm have been fined $5 million for using shell companies to obscure the size of the portfolio under church control, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Tuesday. The faith, widely known as the Mormon church, maintains billions of…
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FBI records deepen mystery of dig for Civil War-era gold
CLEARFIELD, Pa. (AP) — The court-ordered release of a trove of government photos, videos, maps and other documents involving the FBI’s secretive search for Civil War-era gold has a treasure hunter more convinced than ever of a coverup — and just as determined to prove it. Dennis Parada waged a legal battle to force the…
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Watchdog report blasts RCMP failures investigating missing Saskatchewan woman
SASKATOON — Amanda Michayluk’s final moments were spent walking alone in the cold and snow through a Saskatchewan field as her family anxiously waited for an RCMP search and rescue team that would never arrive. A scathing report from the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP says officers responding to calls for help…
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MPs ask CSIS to help them spot foreign interference
OTTAWA — Some members of Parliament say they have no idea how to spot foreign interference, as Canada’s spy agency warns that all elected officials are targets for hostile states. “There is not clarity, quite frankly, around what MPs and their parties can do to protect themselves,” NDP MP Rachel Blaney told CSIS officials on…
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Victoria officer’s lost notebook obtained by criminals, used in alleged offence: cops
Victoria Police are warning dozens of people that their names and other personal information contained in an officer’s lost notebook are now being “circulated among the criminal element.” Victoria Police Chief Const. Del Manak said Thursday the officer’s notebook was lost for five days in December, but his office only learned of the loss and…
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From Star Wars to swordfish ‘sensitivities,’ here’s why the government deletes tweets
OTTAWA — When it comes to government information, there is no shortage of sensitive matters. As it turns out, a “fun fact” about ocean critters is on the list. Fisheries and Oceans Canada tweeted about the parasites that plague swordfish last November. Two days later, the tweet was deleted. The reason? “Sensitivities about the parasites,”…
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Cambodian leader says radio station closure is permanent
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A day after one of Cambodia’s few independent media outlets was shut at his order, Prime Minister Hun Sen declared Tuesday that Voice of Democracy radio will not be allowed to reopen despite pleas and protests from around the world. Voice of Democracy, better known as VoD, was closed on…