Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, March 21st. This week, we begin with a troubling pattern that has been unfolding across Canada.  What started in British Columbia with Bill 9 is now being echoed elsewhere: governments and political actors chipping away at access-to-information and privacy rights while describing those changes as modernization, […]

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A daunting stream of testimony and evidence has been presented in a New Mexico case that explores what the social media conglomerate Meta knew about the effects of its platforms on children. State prosecutors allege Meta failed to disclose the risks that its platforms pose for children, including mental health […]

A golf tournament at the scenic Pebble Beach Golf Links with free spa treatments. A six-day stay at an upscale resort in Maui. Tours to Spain, Portugal, Norway and Australia. Those are among dozens of free trips California state lawmakers took last year, most sponsored and attended by special interest groups with business before the […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge agreed Friday to block the Trump administration from enforcing a policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Pentagon, agreeing with The New York Times that key portions of the new rules are unlawful. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., sided with the newspaper and ruled that the […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday that Congress should “preempt state AI laws” that it views as too burdensome, laying out a broad framework for how it wants Congress to address concerns about artificial intelligence without curbing growth or innovation in the sector. The legislative blueprint outlines a half-dozen guiding principles for lawmakers, […]

At the beginning of next year, voters will no longer be able to see if groups of people who work for the same company are contributing to a politician’s campaign. West Virginia lawmakers passed legislation this year redacting employer information from registered political donations more than $250. Previously, if a dozen employees of “Rick’s Pork” […]

Ontario is planning to create a provincewide electronic medical record system for primary care, more than two decades after the government first embarked on what became a scandal-plagued eHealth project. Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced Thursday that the province is starting by talking to potential vendors about what is possible. “(It’s asking) do you have […]

RCMP say a hacker behind a blackmail attempt on a member of the Nova Scotia legislature was trying to extort bitcoin. Rick Burns, who represents Hammonds Plains-Lucasville, said in a statement Wednesday that criminals hacked his email this week and requested money, which his family refused to pay. As punishment, the ministerial assistant for cybersecurity […]

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian law that seeks to shield minors from addictive, violent and pornographic online content took effect this week, with experts calling it a milestone in the protection of children and adolescents. The issue gained traction in August, after influencer Felipe Bressanim, known as Felca, published a video denouncing the […]

The Carney government is leaving Inuit communities at risk of Chinese surveillance and economic dependence and isn’t facing up to the threat China poses to the North, critics say. “Inuit communities are central to the challenge. Yet they are often not provided with the resources, information or technical support needed to fully assess these complex […]

Most Canadians want the government to ban or regulate the use of algorithms to set prices, a new poll suggests — with half of respondents saying the practice is unfair because it can result in people paying different prices for the same product. The Abacus Data poll, which was conducted online and can’t be assigned […]

Drivers have reported seeing deer trapped on Highway 3 between tall fences installed as part of the Rock Creek wildlife underpass, a resident told Municipal District of Pincher Creek council. In correspondence received at the Feb. 24 regular meeting, David McIntyre raised concerns about the new wildlife fencing. He suggested that several older fences in […]