Access and Privacy Online

Access and Privacy Online


Illinois governor is first in US to block federal access to personal data on autism

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a first-in-the-nation executive order to block the federal government from collecting personal health data related to autism, a direct rebuke to the Trump administration. Democrat Pritzker, who has been one of the more vocal critics of Trump’s second administration, signed the order last week, saying […]

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‘Beacon of freedom’ dims as US initiatives that promote democracy abroad wither under Trump

CHICAGO (AP) — Growing up in the former Soviet Union, Pedro Spivakovsky-Gonzalez’s father and grandparents would listen to Voice of America with their ears pressed to the radio, trying to catch words through the government’s radio jamming. The U.S.-funded news service was instrumental in helping them understand what was happening on the other side of […]

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Authorities arrest over 100 people on Tennessee roads in support of Trump’s deportation plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 100 people have been taken into custody by federal immigration officials in a joint operation with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, leaving many in Nashville’s immigrant community uncertain and worried. “None of us have ever seen anything like this,” Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee […]

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Ottawa looks to off-load costly, seldom-used mobile hospitals bought for the pandemic

The federal government expects to spend about $7 million this fiscal year to store and maintain four custom-made, portable hospitals that cost taxpayers more than $200 million to buy — facilities meant to bolster overwhelmed hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic that were barely used. Early on in the pandemic, as the federal government moved at […]

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20250510 Access and Privacy Online

Show Notes for Saturday May 10. Writing: Shaun Fisk  | Production: Patrick Farnsworth  | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder Send comments to: FIPAOnline @ fipa.bc.ca You can support these efforts by subscribing or donating.   Full Show Links Canadian Local Journalism Initiative  Number of St. Catharines properties in tax arrears soars under current council  https://fipa.bc.ca/number-of-st-catharines-properties-in-tax-arrears-soars-under-current-council/  The Pointer – https://thepointer.com/article/2025-04-30/number-of-st-catharines-properties-in-tax-arrears-soars-under-current-council#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20property%20tax,by%20the%20current%20City%20Council.   OPP detachment board’s ‘Traveling Wilburys’ seek meeting […]

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Mayor Lovatt Urges Province to Support Growing Towns Like Stouffville in 2025 Budget

● Mayor Lovatt has submitted a formal pre-budget request to Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy laying out Town priorities in need of greater Provincial support. ● He warned of a growing infrastructure gap, exacerbated by rising costs and a lack of sustainable funding for small but fast-growing towns like Stouffville. ● Lovatt noted the potential […]

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Investigation finds Alberta government not complying with freedom of information laws

Alberta’s access to information watchdog has found the provincial government to be non-compliant with its own freedom of information rules. A new report from information and privacy commissioner Diane McLeod says Alberta’s government has implemented internal procedures and policies that allow government employees to wrongfully deny freedom of information requests. The report, released Friday, follows […]

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X restricts access to jailed Istanbul mayor’s account under court order but challenges decision

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The social media platform X said Thursday it has blocked access to jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu ’s account in Turkey, complying with a Turkish court order — the latest measure targeting a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, Elon Musk’s X said that while the company abided by […]

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Vancouver short-term rental data at stake in ongoing freedom of information dispute

Vancouver affordable housing advocate Rohana Rezel is six years into a freedom of information dispute with the City of Vancouver and Airbnb over data on short-term rental owners, but he says the issue has evolved beyond housing into a fight for “public transparency.”  Rezel filed two requests with the city under the Freedom of Information […]

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Toronto District School Board says it got a ransom demand over stolen student data

Canada’s largest school board says it has received a ransom demand over student data that was stolen last December, even though the company behind the affected software paid ransom in hopes of securing that information.  The Toronto District School Board said in a letter to parents and caregivers on Wednesday that it recently learned the […]

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Judge expresses sympathy for fired federal workers but questions if reinstatement is proper remedy

A federal judge expressed sympathy on Tuesday for thousands of federal employees who were suddenly fired by the Trump administration earlier this year, but he also voiced skepticism about whether reinstating them to their jobs was a proper remedy and questioned what the courts could ultimately do. Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson made the comments during […]

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Ottawa looking for ways to mend tears in Canada’s social fabric, document shows

Senior federal officials have been looking quietly for ways to bring together Canadians who don’t see eye to eye on the economy, immigration and social issues. With a general election looming, officials prepared to meet last November to brainstorm solutions to the problem of social fragmentation, according to an internal presentation drafted by the Department […]

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