Category: United States

Canada’s digital services tax is here. How could it affect you? | Global News

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The Digital Services Tax is now in effect. Foreign tech giants must now pay a three per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users, retroactive to 2022, after the federal government enacted the measure with an order-in-council on June 28. Many of those large companies are based in the United States and the American government and business communities on both sides of the border have called for Ottawa to stop the measure. Read full story here: Canada’s digital services tax is here. How could it affect you? | Global News

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Commercials may be here to stay on streamers like Amazon unless you open your wallet | CBC News

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Ad-free entertainment used to be one of the big selling points of streaming services, but as more services including Amazon’s Prime Video add commercials, experts say the glory days of advertisement-free video content are gone. That is, unless you open up your wallet to higher prices and additional monthly charges to avoid the advertisements that used to be banished to the realm of traditional, linear television. Read full story here: Commercials may be here to stay on streamers like Amazon unless you open your wallet | CBC News

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One of the biggest data leaks ever has just been revealed – here’s what to do if you’ve been hit | TechRadar

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A massive database containing the gains of thousands of data breaches has been found online, amounting to 12TB and comprising over 26 billion records, making it the largest ever discovered. Cybernews claims to have made the discovery along with Bob Dyachenko, the owner of SecurityDiscovery.com. Read full story here: One of the biggest data leaks ever has just been revealed – here’s what to do if you’ve been hit | TechRadar

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Reusable bags were supposed to help save the environment, but only if shoppers bring them | CBC News

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Closets and car trunks around Ottawa are overflowing with reusable shopping bags as some shoppers admit they can’t remember to bring them back to the store and keep having to buy more. It’s a habit one environmental expert warns is unsustainable. “We’re treating them like single-use items, so it’s almost replacing one single-use item like the plastic bag with a reusable bag,” said Tony Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University who specializes in plastics and plastic pollution. Read full story here: Reusable bags were supposed to help save the environment,…

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Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News

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Even as the minister responsible admitted there aren’t enough competitive options for mobile service in Canada, another federal official said consumers can and should search for other service providers when faced with price increases. That message — from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada — came just hours after the Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canadians “still pay too much and see too little competition” for cellular services. Read full story here: Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News

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The secret life of gift cards: Here’s what happens to the billions that go unspent each year | CTV News

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Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays. Americans are expected to spend nearly US$30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales. Read full story here: The secret life of gift cards: Here’s what happens to the billions that go unspent each year | CTV News

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Creeping price points: A look at the rising cost of Canada’s streaming TV services | CTV News

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Streaming TV isn’t getting any cheaper. After it was once heralded as the cost-effective alternative to cable, the price of Canada’s streaming services is inching higher every year. And the story was no different in 2023 when inflation, production costs and efforts to turn a profit led many of the biggest names in the business to rework their subscription packages and jack up their rates. Read full story here: Creeping price points: A look at the rising cost of Canada’s streaming TV services | CTV News

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Governments can spy via smartphone push notifications, Apple and Google confirm | Mashable

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Well, here’s something you might have never considered: Your iPhone and Android device push notifications can be used by law enforcement or governments to spy on you. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice with a concern that his office was attempting to investigate. According to Senator Wyden’s letter as first reported by Reuters, his office received a tip in the Spring of last year about how foreign governments were requesting push notification data from companies like Apple and Google. Read full story here:…

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Buyer beware: porch piracy set to ramp up with holiday season fast approaching | CTV News

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TORONTO –  You’ve been tracking your online shopping haul for days. It’s finally the day your package is set to arrive at your doorstep. But when you get home in the evening, the package is not there. A recent FedEx survey shows porch thefts have risen over the last two years, with 28 per cent of respondents reporting they’ve had packages stolen by so-called porch pirates in the past. That compares to 24 per cent of respondents in 2022 and 20 per cent in 2021. Read full story here: Buyer…

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Why several big-box stores have ditched their self-checkouts | CBC News

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After Dwayne Ouelette took over the Canadian Tire in North Bay, Ont., last year, he decided to buck the trend and ditch the store’s four self-checkout machines — which had been there for a decade.  “I’m not comfortable using them and I don’t think some of my customers are comfortable [either],” said Ouelette, who removed the machines in July and replaced them with cashiers.  “I’d rather my customers see my cashiers and if there’s any questions or concerns, at least there’s somebody they can talk to.” Read full story here: Why…

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