Month: November 2017

‘Open Banking’ Holds Promise But Cybersecurity Fears Loom For Canadian Banks – National | Globalnews.ca

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TORONTO – As banks work to fortify their cybersecurity defences amidst a growing number of data breaches, they are also exploring the promise of so-called “open banking,” a concept that could finally disrupt the staid financial services industry. Customers have increasingly moved away from physical branches towards online and mobile apps, but banking has yet to reach its “Uberization” moment, one that breaks down traditional models to usher in new innovations, as Uber has done for the taxi industry. Open banking – granting third-parties like financial technology startups access to…

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Spies More Free To Use Cellphone Surveillance Tech Without Warrant, Under Court Ruling – Technology & Science – CBC News

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A federal court judge has ruled that Canada’s domestic spy agency can continue to use contentious cellphone surveillance devices without a warrant, in some cases. For several years, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has used a device it calls a Cell Site Simulator (CSS) to collect information about cellphones and other cellular-capable devices — such as some laptops or tablets — during its national security investigations. The devices are perhaps better known as IMSI Catchers or Stingrays, and pretend to be legitimate cellphone towers in order to collect information. Privacy…

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Consumer Complaints About Telecoms On The Rise — Wireless Issues Most Common Beef – Business – CBC News

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Canadians are becoming more vocal about poor service by their telecom providers, according to a report released on Tuesday by Canada’s telecom watchdog, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom Services (CCTS). The report shows in 2016-17, consumers filed more than 9,000 complaints with the CCTS. That’s up 11 per cent over the previous year, when 8,197 complaints were accepted, and reverses a three-year trend that saw complaints decline. Most people who filed a formal complaint were ticked off about their wireless accounts, accounting for 46 per cent of all complaints. Linda…

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Canada Should Fight For Open Internet, Says Former Head Of FCC – Politics – CBC News

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The former head of the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. has a strong warning for Canada: do what you can to protect the internet. Tom Wheeler, head of the FCC under former U.S. president Barack Obama, said the Trump administration’s decision to repeal his net neutrality policy could become a cross-border issue. In 2015, Wheeler approved an order that barred internet service providers from blocking or slowing down consumer access to web content. This week, his replacement, Republican Ajit Pai, unveiled plans to repeal that decision and said the U.S. regulator will prevent states…

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No Relief At The Pumps For Consumers, As Refiners Pocket Benefit Of Low Oil Prices | CTV News

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There may be no fact of life more confounding to ordinary Canadians than gas prices. They seem to go up at the first whisper of climbing oil prices, but don’t fall nearly as fast when barrels of oil sell for less. That’s certainly true right now. Oil is selling for about US$55 a barrel, about half of an eight-year peak of $108 in 2014. The average barrel price that year was $88. Gas prices hit a high of $1.41 a litre in Canada in 2014 and averaged $1.28 for the…

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Canada, U.K. Join Forces To Phase Out Coal, But At Least 2 Canadian Provinces Want Out – National | Globalnews.ca

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Canada and the United Kingdom have enticed 18 other nations to adopt their mutual goal of weaning themselves off coal-fired power – but at least two provinces are trying to negotiate their way out of the federal government’s own domestic plan. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna was all smiles Thursday as she and her British counterpart officially launched the Global Alliance to Power Past Coal at the United Nations climate change talks in Germany. Eighteen countries, five provinces and two states signed onto the Canada-U.K. alliance. “We’re seeing huge momentum for…

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CRTC Weighs Impact On Revised Wireless Code Following Rogers Request For Delay – Business – CBC News

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A revised wireless code, which originally went into effect in 2013, would tie data caps for shared plans to single accounts, no matter how many devices are listed. Rogers is seeking a delay of the implementation of the revised code. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) It’s all but certain that the Canadian telecom industry’s revised wireless code of conduct won’t be fully implemented before Christmas, including a change in the way customers are billed when data usage goes over their contract’s limit. While the CRTC hasn’t ruled yet on a delay requested…

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Senators Push To Ditch Social Security Numbers In Light Of Equifax Hack | TechCrunch

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Eyeing more secure alternatives to Social Security numbers, lawmakers in the U.S. are looking abroad. Today, the Senate Commerce Committee questioned former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Verizon chief privacy officer Karen Zacharia and both the current and former CEOs of Equifax on how to protect consumers against major data breaches. The consensus was that Social Security numbers have got to go. Rounding out the panel, Entrust Datacard president and CEO Todd Wilkinson offered some context and insight about why the U.S. should indeed move away from Social Security numbers — a step that the witnesses…

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US Government Climate Report: Climate Change Is Real And Our Fault | Ars Technica

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Information about the science and consequences of climate change has been removed from a number of federal agency websites since the Trump administration took over. But some agencies like NASA seem to have continued their work unhindered. And today saw the release of the fourth National Climate Assessment—an official summary of the current state of knowledge about climate change. The heavily peer-reviewed report, following the last edition in 2014, is coordinated by NOAA, NASA, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Global Change Research Program. A…

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‘We’re Designing Minds’: Industry Insider Reveals Secrets Of Addictive App Trade – Technology & Science – CBC News

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The average Canadian teenager is on track to spend nearly a decade of their life staring at a smartphone, and that’s no accident, according to an industry insider who shared some time-sucking secrets of the app design trade. CBC Marketplace travelled to Dopamine Labs, a startup in Venice, Calif., that uses artificial intelligence and neuroscience to help companies hook people with their apps. Named after the brain molecule that gives us pleasure, Dopamine Labs uses computer coding to influence behaviour — most importantly, to compel people to spend more time with an app and…

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