Access and Privacy Online

Access and Privacy Online


Russia opens criminal investigation against Telegram app founder Pavel Durov

MOSCOW (AP) — Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, said Tuesday that the Russian government had opened a criminal investigation against him on charges of “aiding terrorism.” Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia, accused Moscow of fabricating pretexts to restrict access by Russians to the Telegram service as […]

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ICE officer training is ‘deficient’ and ‘broken,’ former agency lawyer tells congressional forum

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer who was responsible for training new deportation officers warned Monday that the agency’s training program for new recruits is “deficient, defective and broken.” Ryan Schwank’s comments during a forum held by congressional Democrats come at a time of intense scrutiny of the officers tasked […]

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Witness who saw friend fatally shot by immigration agent in Texas last year dies in car accident

WASHINGTON (AP) — The passenger in the car when Texas driver Ruben Ray Martinez was fatally shot last year by a federal immigration agent gave a lengthy statement to lawyers for the slain man’s family disputing the government’s version of events. That witness died Saturday in a fiery car crash in San Antonio, according to […]

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Liberals accept Conservative budget amendments on ‘regulatory sandboxes’

The federal Liberals accepted a Conservative proposal Monday to put guardrails around proposed new cabinet powers as they debated the government’s omnibus budget bill. The finance committee tackled 606 clauses in the budget implementation legislation over five-and-a-half hours Monday as MPs faced a tight timeline to review the fast-tracked Bill C-15. That legislation proposes to […]

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Police are finding suspects based on their online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in difficult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for specific information online, seeking “reverse keyword” warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people. Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying […]

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Senate committee recommends removing immigration measures from border bill

Senators on the social affairs committee want to see immigration-related sections in the government’s border bill, C-12, removed or significantly modified by the Senate national security committee. The national security committee is responsible for tabling amendments, while the social affairs committee has conducted an in-depth study of the bill’s immigration measures. That study, obtained by […]

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Left to Choose: Training offered, but not required for municipal leaders

This is the first article in a two-part series that examines the province of New Brunswick’s decision not to make training mandatory for municipal officials, instead providing a voluntary option.  A recommendation by the Local Governance Commission (LGC) to make training mandatory for municipal leaders and staff will not be implemented by the Department of […]

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Five heroes celebrated for defending nature against unchecked development in Caledon

Hat on. Glasses lowered. Notes in hand. Ian Sinclair moves toward the podium with the deliberate steps of a man who has come prepared, not just to speak, but to challenge. Conversations hush and heads turn, intently. In Caledon’s council chamber, his confident walk and heavy voice are a familiar sight, and a comforting one […]

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Ghislaine Maxwell fights release of more Epstein documents, calling disclosure law unconstitutional

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are fighting the requested release of 90,000 pages related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell, saying a law used to force the public release of millions of documents is unconstitutional. The lawyers filed papers late Friday in Manhattan federal court to try to […]

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20260221 Access and Privacy Online

Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, February 21st. This week, the Senate delivers a significant report on Bill C-4, Part 4, with a majority of committee members warning that the proposed political party privacy regime falls far short of minimum standards — and recommending that it be removed, severed, or sunset.  We’re also tracking how access-to-information […]

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Judge weighs Washington Post’s demand for government to return devices seized from reporter’s home

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The federal government is asking a court to “run roughshod” over the First Amendment after seizing electronic devices from a Washington Post reporter’s Virginia home last month, an attorney for the newspaper argued Friday. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter didn’t rule from the bench on the newspaper’s request for an order […]

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Texas man was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent last year during a stop, new records show

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly released records show a U.S. citizen was shot and killed in Texas by a federal immigration agent last year during a late-night traffic encounter that was not publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security. The death of Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, would mark the earliest of at least six deadly […]

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