Access and Privacy Online

Access and Privacy Online


Access to abortion pill expanding beyond Alberta’s major cities, data shows

The abortion pill is slowly changing the reproductive health landscape in Alberta, new data suggests. When Mifegymiso came on the market in Canada in 2017, advocates and medical professionals hoped the medication would expand reproductive health care in rural and remote communities. In the years that followed, however, severe access issues in Alberta persisted and […]

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Amazon Prime Day is a big event for scammers, experts warn

Amazon Prime Day is here, and experts are reminding consumers to be wary of scams. Deceptions such as phony emails from people impersonating online retailers like Amazon are nothing new. But phishing attempts increase amid the heavy spending seen during significant sales events, whether it’s Black Friday or Prime Day, according to the Better Business […]

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‘Tip of the iceberg’: AI deepfakes on the rise in Alberta as police warn parents to stay vigilant

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop and become more accessible, law enforcement and other crime agencies, including those in Alberta, are warning about the rapid rise of deepfakes involving sexually explicit images and videos of children. Deepfakes are videos, images or audio recordings that can look and sound realistic but have been generated or […]

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Political ads on social media rife with misinformation and scams, new research finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The online advertisement to Donald Trump supporters was clear enough: Click here, and receive a free Trump 2024 flag and a commemorative coin. All in exchange for taking a quick survey and providing a credit card number for the $5 shipping and handling. “You’ll get two free gifts just by taking this […]

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Samsung brings tech’s latest fashion to wearable technology with AI twists in new watch and ring

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung is dressing up its wearable devices in technology’s latest fashion — artificial intelligence. The South Korean electronics giant on Wednesday revealed that both its first-ever premium smartwatch and a smart ring heralding its entry into a niche market will include AI features that are supposed to help people monitor and […]

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Microsoft quits OpenAI board seat as antitrust scrutiny of artificial intelligence pacts intensifies

Microsoft has relinquished its seat on the board of OpenAI, saying its participation is no longer needed because the ChatGPT maker has improved its governance since being roiled by boardroom chaos last year.  In a Tuesday letter, Microsoft confirmed it was resigning, “effective immediately,” from its role as an observer on the artificial intelligence company’s […]

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NRA’s ex-CFO agreed to 10-year not-for-profit ban, still owes $2M for role in lavish spending scheme

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Rifle Association’s former finance czar, Wilson “Woody” Phillips, has been banned for a decade from managing money for any nonprofit company in New York, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday. Phillips agreed to the ban in May, three months after a jury found him liable in a scheme to […]

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ATCO Electric fined $3 million for unearned rate increases, overstating its costs

A prominent Alberta company has agreed to pay $3 million in fines for misleading the province’s utilities watchdog about its costs in two separate projects.  ATCO Electric has also agreed to refund $4 million in recompense for unearned rate increases, a deal that now goes before the Alberta Utilities Commission for approval.  “ATCO Electric admits […]

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Ticketmaster says data security incident may affect users’ personal information

Ticketmaster has been warning some Canadian customers that their data may have been compromised during a recent security breach. An email sent by the ticket sales platform to customers this week reveals “an unauthorized third party” snagged information from a cloud database hosted by an unnamed third-party data services provider sometime between April 2 and […]

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Elections BC IT director on leave after court ruling on Saanich privacy breach

The director of information technology at Elections BC has been put on administrative leave while the organization looks into a recent B.C. Supreme Court judgment that found he breached privacy rules in a previous job. The judgment found that Guy Gondor had copied private information to aid his son in a bylaw dispute while working […]

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Scammers are swiping billions from Americans every year. Worse, most crooks are getting away with it

The scammers are winning. Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year, a crime wave projected to get worse as the U.S. population ages and technology like AI makes it easier than ever to perpetrate fraud and get away with it. Internet and telephone scams have grown “exponentially,” overwhelming […]

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Exclusive: National Indigenous Tourism to cut funding for provincial groups

The president of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) says his organization is facing major cuts that risk setting the industry back a decade. This week, at the peak of tourism season, Keith Henry informed staff at ITAC that around half the organization’s staff will be laid off in November. He also said smaller […]

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