Month: July 2018

The TSA Has Been Quietly Tracking American Travelers Who Are Not On Government Watch Lists | The Verge

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According to a new report from The Boston Globe, federal air marshals are tracking American citizens who are not currently under investigation or on a terrorist watch list by way of a previously unknown Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program. The program is called “Quiet Skies,” which directs federal air marshals to track Americans on domestic flights who may be affiliated with someone on a watch list or whose travel patterns mirror those of suspected terrorist. Individuals being tracked through Quiet Skies are not suspected of any crimes, according to the…

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Will Canada Become The Next Country To Offer Mobile Passports? Feds Studying Idea Despite Privacy Fears – National | Globalnews.ca

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Immigration officials are exploring the idea of allowing Canadians to renew or potentially use their passports via mobile apps on their phones. If you have a Canadian passport, you know the deal. Every five to 10 years, you go through the process of filling out forms, gathering photos and references and mailing it all in to Passport Canada, all in the name of renewing the little blue booklet that lets Canadians travel abroad. Once at the airport, you take it out for check-in, during security screenings, to show the gate…

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Aeroplan, PC Optimum Grapple With Points Theft As Thieves Drain Accounts, Book Flights | CBC News

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Loyalty programs Aeroplan and PC Optimum have each recently been hit with multiple cases of points theft. Flights have even been booked using stolen Aeroplan miles. “I was blown away,” said Christina Rayburn, after discovering that someone had swiped most of the miles from her online Aeroplan account and taken a trip. “The fact that they were able to do that kind of concerns me.” Cyber thieves are increasingly targeting Canadians’ stockpiles of lucrative loyalty points — PC Optimum has dealt with points theft since the program launched in February. Some cybersecurity experts say…

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Cottages, Vacation Homes Becoming The New Office For Many Canadians | CTV News

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MONTREAL — The telecommuting revolution envisioned by futurists, in which vast numbers of workers eschew their daily commute in favour of working remotely from home, never quite turned out as predicted. However, a growing number of Canadians are taking the term “working remotely” literally, leaving the hustle and bustle of city life behind to work from their cottage or winter home down south, says a real estate expert. “To the extent that that expands further, I think it will further enable the larger trend of working from places that you…

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Air Canada To Offset Rise In Fuel Prices With Higher Fares, May Trim Capacity | CBC News

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Air Canada experienced a 31 per cent increase in the price of jet fuel compared with last year’s second quarter, and plans to offset some of the impact with higher fares and other initiatives, Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu said Friday. The Montreal-based airline did well in terms of revenue, which rose 10.4 per cent compared with last year’s second quarter, but adjusted earnings dropped to $114 million or 41 cents per share. That was only about half as much as Air Canada’s adjusted earnings of $226 million or 82 cents per share…

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Air Canada, CIBC, TD And Visa Offer To Buy Aeroplan | CBC News

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Air Canada is teaming up with three financial services giants to try to buy its former loyalty program, Aeroplan, from its current owner. Air Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, CIBC and Visa made the announcement Wednesday they want to buy Aeroplan from Aimia, in exchange for taking over the liability of $2 billion worth of outstanding Aeroplan points, plus $250 million in cash. The airline announced last year it would soon be ending its 30-year partnership with Aeroplan, a development that sent the parent company’s stock price tumbling and scrambling for new partners. Air Canada started Aeroplan as its…

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Rooftop Solar Could Save Utilities $100 To $120 Per Installed Kilowatt | Ars Technica

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When you install rooftop solar panels, the electricity you create cuts into the amount of electricity the utility must provide to meet your needs. Add up the reduced demand of all the homes with solar panels, and you’ve got a pretty sizable amount of electricity that’s no longer needed. Lower wholesale prices “should ultimately reduce consumers’ costs through lower retail rates,” the researchers write (although whether and how those savings get passed on to retail customers is not discussed in the paper). The paper is location-specific and draws on historical…

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CRTC Investigating ‘Possible Misleading’ Telco Sales Practices After First Rejecting The Idea | CBC News

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The CRTC has launched a public inquiry into “possible misleading or aggressive” sales practices used by telecom companies, a move the regulator flatly refused to make just six months ago. “It was definitely discouraging when the CRTC rejected it the first time around,” said Laura Tribe, executive director of consumer advocacy group Open Media. “It is also encouraging to see that they’re taking this opportunity to get it right.” Monday’s announcement included an invitation for Canadians to go online to share their personal experiences involving questionable telco sales tactics. The CRTC also plans to conduct…

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Smart TVs Are Invading Privacy And Should Be Investigated, Senators Say | Ars Technica

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Two Democratic US senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate privacy problems related to Internet-connected televisions. “Many Internet-connected smart TVs are equipped with sophisticated technologies that can track the content users are watching and then use that information to tailor and deliver targeted advertisements to consumers,” Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter yesterday to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons. “Regrettably, smart TV users may not be aware of the extent to which their televisions are collecting sensitive information about their viewing habits.” The…

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‘I Was Truly Shocked’: Canadian Banned From U.S. Over Pot Investment | CTV News

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With the impending legalization of recreational marijuana this fall, Canadians with investments in American pot companies will have to be careful crossing the U.S. border following the news that one prominent businessman was banned for life. Sam Znaimer is a prominent venture capitalist in Vancouver who started investing in budding U.S. cannabis startup companies a few years ago. In May, Znaimer was trying to travel to the States when he was stopped by border officials. During the questioning, he said he was never asked about his personal consumption of the…

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