fundamental rights

fundamental rights


Ahead of U.S. TikTok ban, Canadians flock to Chinese ‘RedNote’ app

With TikTok facing an imminent ban in the United States, many Canadian users are moving to rival Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu — also known as RedNote — pushing it to the top of download charts in Canada. The ban is being driven by security concerns about TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. Chinese national […]

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‘Running in fear’: Documents depict chaos, confusion over Reclaiming Canada event

When the organizer of the We Unify Reclaiming Canada event contacted officials about booking the Victoria Conference Centre, he touted invitees from across the political spectrum, including liberal luminaries such as Amal Clooney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C.’s NDP Premier David Eby, movie stars and more. Jonathan Bower told the sales director of the city-owned […]

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Supreme Court allows multibillion-dollar class action to proceed against Meta

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. The justices heard arguments in November in Meta’s bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to […]

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Alberta’s privacy commissioner raises concerns over two government bills

Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner says she has big concerns – including fuzzy definitions and insufficient guardrails – in two bills now being debated in the house. The bills aim to amend existing access to information and privacy rules and are touted by Premier Danielle Smith’s government as being the strictest privacy regulations in Canada. […]

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Liberals propose seven-year extension for information commissioner Caroline Maynard

Information commissioner Caroline Maynard says she will relentlessly stress the importance of transparency by default if she’s allowed to continue in her job. The Liberal government recently nominated Maynard, an ombudsman for users of the Access to Information Act, to serve another seven-year term.  For a $5 fee, people can use the access act to […]

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‘Not for now,’ says N.S. Tory leader regarding order-making power for info czar

The leader of Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives made clear last week that if he’s re-elected, a key change that he once supported to increase the power of the province’s information commissioner is on the back burner, if not dead.  “No, not for now,” said Tim Houston, when asked by a reporter on the second day […]

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Privacy commissioner investigates federal revenue agency data breaches

The federal privacy watchdog has opened an investigation into cyberattacks on the Canada Revenue Agency that led to more than 30,000 privacy breaches dating back to 2020.  In a news release, the office of privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne says the federal revenue agency reported the breaches in May of this year. The commissioner’s office says […]

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CSE should make changes or stop using polygraphs: watchdog report

A new watchdog report says there are fundamental issues with the use of polygraphs for security screening by Canada’s cyberspy agency. It calls for the Communications Security Establishment and the federal government to urgently address them or stop using the tests for security screening altogether. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency says it’s the […]

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‘A great teaching opportunity’: How one school board plans to use AI in the classroom

When students return to Catholic schools in Ottawa this week, they will be able to use artificial intelligence to help solve math problems and create essay outlines. Their teachers, too, can turn to AI to generate lesson plans, adjust content to a student’s specific needs, and give feedback on assignments. The Ottawa Catholic School Board […]

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Dutch watchdog fines Uber $324 million for alleged inadequate protection of drivers’ data

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch data protection watchdog slapped a 290 million euro ($324 million) fine Monday on ride-hailing service Uber for allegedly transferring personal details of European drivers to the United States without adequate protection. Uber called the decision flawed and unjustified and said it would appeal. The Dutch Data Protection Authority […]

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National security agencies should detail how they’re using AI: federal advisory body

A federal advisory body is calling on Canada’s security agencies to publish detailed descriptions of their current and intended uses of artificial intelligence systems and software applications. In a new report, the National Security Transparency Advisory Group also urges the government to look at amending legislation being considered by Parliament to ensure oversight of how […]

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Ottawa still mulling over bonus for CEO of CBC, but won’t make decision public

The Liberal government said it has not yet made a decision about whether it will grant a bonus for the head of CBC after the public broadcaster eliminated hundreds of jobs. But because of the Privacy Act, it will likely be up to CEO Catherine Tait to publicly disclose if she does receive one. She […]

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