Just one day after Premier Doug Ford’s government passed extensive changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information (FOI) law, Hastings–Lennox and Addington Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Ric Bresee defended the overhaul as a matter of “clarity,” not reduced access — even as critics warn the changes could significantly limit what the public is allowed to […]

The Liberal government proposes making it easier for federal agencies to share and reuse the personal data of Canadians through a major overhaul of the Privacy Act. The act governs how federal agencies collect, use and disclose personal information, and gives people the right to see and correct data about them the government holds. The […]

What do conservation authorities, a downtown Toronto parking lot and freedom-of-information requests have in common? On the face of it, nothing — but provincial legislative changes are coming to all three, and they are jammed into an omnibus budget bill tabled Thursday by Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. The province’s plan for doling out taxpayer […]

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” […]

The federal government has tabled legislation in the House of Commons it says would help law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigate threats. Here’s what the new bill proposes: Confirmation of service demand: The bill would require internet and phone companies to tell authorities whether they provide a service to a particular person […]

As other countries move toward banning social media use for some teens, the Liberal government has confirmed it’s working on new legislation to address online harms.  So could Canada follow Australia and implement a social media ban? Here’s what we know:  What are the rules in place now for kids under 13?  Canada has no […]

Advocates of more federal transparency are concerned a federal review of the Access to Information regime will not fix long-standing problems, and that it could even make things worse. The Treasury Board Secretariat announced the government review, which takes place every five years, in a news release last June. For a $5 fee, people can […]

The federal government is working on online harms legislation, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Friday. Solomon told reporters Culture Minister Marc Miller will bring the bill forward. The bill would be separate from privacy legislation Solomon is expected to introduce, and from a justice bill the government tabled last year that includes elements criminalizing […]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González signed a polemic bill on Sunday that critics say is a blow to democracy and will make it more difficult to access public information in a U.S. territory long known for its lack of government transparency. González said the bill amends an existing law […]

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he is open to amending proposed border security legislation that would make it easier for police to obtain access to information about Canadians. Anandasangaree told a House of Commons committee Thursday he hopes that with the “right type of amendments,” the legislation — which has drawn fire from civil […]

The Liberal government has split its border security bill in two in the hope of seeing some measures pass swiftly while giving Canadians more time to evaluate other, more contentious ones. Bill C-12, introduced Wednesday, includes several measures from a June bill to expand the Coast Guard’s role, tighten the immigration and refugee system, enhance […]