Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, January 24th. This week, we’re tracking a sharp escalation in surveillance and enforcement powers — from a B.C. municipality openly challenging a privacy watchdog’s authority, to U.S. immigration officers asserting the right to enter homes without a judge’s warrant.  We’re also looking at how access-to-information requests continue to expose […]

Canada’s integrity watchdog has issued an urgent funding request to the federal government warning the “whistle-blowing regime” is at risk. Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada Harriet Solloway sent a letter to Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali last week asking for a one-time injection of $6.7 million and around $14.3 million in additional funding per […]

Fire Board Trustees of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) say they are doing their best with the ongoing investigation into a privacy breach of personnel data. The breach was discussed at a December 3, 2025 meeting of the board and reported on in the Dec. 10 Sounder. Chair Erik Johnson says a computer […]

The national intelligence watchdog says Canada’s cyberspy agency violated a law that forbids it from focusing on Canadians when it analyzed information from an electronic device. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency details the lapse in a newly released report that looked at how the Communications Security Establishment and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service […]

The platform, announced recently, will connect all publicly funded home care agencies with Nova Scotia Health’s (NSH’s) continuing care program, allowing for real-time access to information and more efficient booking when appointments are cancelled. It is expected to launch in mid-2027. “Guysborough County Home Support Agency (GCHSA) is the only home support provider in Guysborough […]

Canada must act to retain its international leadership in AI research in the face of a worldwide race for talent that’s reached a “fever pitch,” the country’s national AI institutes warned the government last summer. They cautioned that funding for a key program was running out and told the federal government it needs to replenish […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before the 2026 tax filing season begins, the head of the IRS announced a shake-up Tuesday, saying the personnel and operational changes are intended to improve taxpayer service and modernize the agency. The timing of the announcement coincides with a critical moment for the agency, as the IRS prepares to process […]

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has laid out how bylaw complaints and inquiries will be reviewed, investigated and enforced under an updated enforcement policy. Council unanimously received the information report last Tuesday. Before the report, the town already enforced bylaws using an “engage, educate, then enforce” approach and accepted complaints through a public process outlined on […]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians have been struggling for nearly two weeks with the longest, most comprehensive internet shutdown in the history of the Islamic Republic — one that has not only restricted their access to information and the outside world, but is also throttling many businesses that rely on online advertising. Authorities […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor. A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of […]

Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, January 17th. We’re starting the year with a heavy focus on access to information, and what happens when transparency fails, or is actively resisted. This week, access requests uncover troubling gaps in domestic-violence prosecutions in Nunavut, reveal why a Parks Canada boat ban blindsided communities in Manitoba, and expose how […]

OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren’t paying for a premium version of the chatbot. The artificial intelligence company said Friday it hasn’t yet rolled out ads but will start testing them in the coming weeks. It’s the latest effort by the San Francisco-based company to make money from […]