Roblox, the online gaming platform wildly popular with children and teenagers, is rolling out an open-source version of an artificial intelligence system it says can help preemptively detect predatory language in game chats. The move comes as the company faces lawsuits and criticism accusing it of not doing enough to protect children from predators. For […]

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have “weaponized” the legal and judicial system to oppress women and girls in what amounts to “crimes against humanity,” the independent U.N. investigator on human rights in the country said. Richard Bennett said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly circulated Wednesday that after seizing power in […]

Editor’s Note: Following is the second in a series of stories on social media roles, effects and strategies in politics and public life, especially at the provincial level in Alberta. Albertans who vibe with Janis Irwin see her regularly on mainstream TV, the perfect place to learn all about her everyday life, her thoughts on […]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed more details Wednesday about his planned tunnel under Highway 401, even as a feasibility study he’s commissioning has yet to get underway. Speaking at an unrelated transit announcement in Thornhill, Ont., north of Toronto, Ford said his plan is to have a 19.5-metre-wide, three-level tunnel, with one level going eastbound, […]

In response to Ontario’s unprecedented takeover of several school boards, Jewish educators and community leaders are cautiously optimistic about renewed government efforts to address rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion in schools. “We all know this is a problem,” said Dara Solomon, executive director of the Toronto Holocaust Museum. “We hear it every day. We have […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mother of the man who killed four people at a Manhattan office tower home to the NFL told 911 dispatchers during a 2022 incident when he threatened to kill himself that he suffered from a sports-related concussion and other issues, new information released by Las Vegas police Tuesday revealed. Shane […]

The Northwestern Innovation Centre is providing small and medium-sized Northern Ontario enterprises with a funding opportunity aimed at expanding technology to enhance business operations. The Northern Technology Accelerator Program (NTAP) is a non-repayable grant program that will cover up to 50 per cent of eligible technology costs to a maximum of $10,000. Administered by Blue […]

Two years before the Titan submersible imploded south of Newfoundland, killing five people, Canada’s Fisheries Department sent a letter of support to the sub’s American owner, the U.S. Coast Guard says in a report released Tuesday. The 300-page investigation report says the sinking was preventable. It says the company responsible for organizing the trip, OceanGate, […]

The office of Canada’s privacy commissioner says it has opened an investigation into a cyberattack on WestJet which saw a “malicious actor” gain access to the airline’s systems. The airline said in a statement last month that a “sophisticated, criminal” third party was able to gain access to some personal and travel-related data during the […]

The rats took over James Klein’s backyard this spring. He’d never had a rat problem in the more than two decades he’s lived in Montreal’s Snowdon neighbourhood. But now, when he watches TV in his family room, he sees them out of the corner of his eye, scurrying around outside the glass door leading onto […]

NEW YORK (AP) — The requests have come in letters, emails and phone calls. The specifics vary, but the target is consistent: The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up an effort to get voter data and other election information from the states. Over the past three months, the department’s voting section has requested copies […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, August 2nd.   We start with a scan of access to information stories across Canada that touch on many recurring issues—including a legislative review in New Brunswick that could strengthen the province’s Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.  Then, as back-to-school season begins, we look […]