Access and Privacy Online

Access and Privacy Online


Mysterious buck reveals potential AI fraud scheme targeting seniors

The closer a Prince Rupert woman looked at the deer in her yard, the stranger things became for her. “It was the first time I’ve seen anything like that; it was pretty bizarre,” said Joan Dudoward. Dudoward is a senior residing on 11th Avenue East in Prince Rupert. A flash of movement caught her eye […]

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Willow Creek MD calls out deadbeat tax evaders

To help it collect almost $21,000 in unpaid taxes from delinquent oil and gas companies, the MD of Willow Creek is complying with a provincial government request for information. “Let’s rat out the bad actors,” said Deputy Reeve Glen Alm, who in the absence of Reeve Maryanne Sandberg was chair at the Nov. 13 council […]

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Australia’s parliament considers legislation banning social media for under 16s

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s communications minister introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children under 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges. Michelle Rowland said TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram were among the platforms that would face fines of up to 50 […]

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Manitoba RCMP to wear body cameras for ‘accountability and transparency’

New body-worn cameras will bring a new level of accountability to Manitoba RCMP officers, Mounties said. “Communities have been asking for more accountability and transparency in policing,” Manitoba RCMP Assistant Commissioner Scott McMurchy told reporters at a media conference in Winnipeg on Wednesday. “We are very pleased to say that RCMP has listened, and is […]

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Alberta’s privacy commissioner raises concerns over two government bills

Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner says she has big concerns – including fuzzy definitions and insufficient guardrails – in two bills now being debated in the house. The bills aim to amend existing access to information and privacy rules and are touted by Premier Danielle Smith’s government as being the strictest privacy regulations in Canada. […]

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Australia’s plan to ban children from social media proves popular and problematic

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — How do you remove children from the harms of social media? Politically the answer appears simple in Australia, but practically the solution could be far more difficult. The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram until their 16th birthdays is politically popular. […]

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Australia won’t force social media users to share their personal details when child ban takes effect

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s communications minister said Wednesday the government won’t force social media users to hand over their personal information to tech companies, as children younger than 16 are set to be banned from the platforms. Michelle Rowland plans to introduce into Parliament on Thursday world-first legislation that would make X, TikTok, Facebook […]

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Mexico’s president says government is investigating reported ransomware hack of legal affairs office

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Wednesday that the government is investigating an alleged ransomware hack of her administration’s legal affairs office after what appeared to be samples of personal information from a database of government employees were posted online. The website Cybernews said a group called Ransomhub had posted a sample of apparently […]

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Ford offered help to Kingston doctor battling OHIP, failed to deliver

In the weeks since Kingstonist first reported that Dr. Elaine Ma was facing a Health Services Appeal and Review Board (HSARB) hearing and stiff penalties from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), related to mass clinics she organized to give Kingston one of the fastest and most effective vaccine rollouts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the […]

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St. Catharines, GM lose two-year battle to keep details about environmental contamination on site slated for development secret

The City of St. Catharines has been ordered to release all documentation detailing the toxic substances beneath the former General Motors site on Ontario Street where developers have planned to build residential units without disclosing the potential health risks to future residents. On November 12th, an adjudicator from the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of […]

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Alberta privacy commissioner raises concerns over government bills

Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner says she has significant concerns about two bills tabled by the government earlier this month. The bills amend existing access to information and privacy rules, and were touted by ministers as being the strictest privacy regulations in Canada. But Diane McLeod, Alberta’s independent privacy and information commissioner, says the government […]

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Documents reveal Canada’s early efforts to save orcas from ‘catastrophic’ oil spills

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has launched measures to try and protect endangered orcas on the West Coast from rising risk of oil spills, indicate federal documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer through access-to-information legislation. The fisheries department (DFO) has invested in vessels and acoustic gear, drafted an operating procedure for fishery officers, maintains community equipment […]

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