Category: United States

Homeland Security has reportedly sent out hundreds of subpoenas to identify ICE critics online | Engadget

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly been asking tech companies for information on accounts posting anti-ICE sentiments. According to The New York Times, DHS has sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord and Meta over the past few months. Homeland Security asked the companies for names, email addresses, telephone numbers and any other identifying detail for accounts that have criticized the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency or have reported the location of its agents. Google, Meta and Reddit have complied with some of the requests Read…

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What are your rights as a Canadian if asked by a U.S. border agent to see your social media? | CTV News

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The news that some travelers visiting the U.S. might soon be asked to share personal things like social media and email accounts has left many Canadians unsettled about what could happen at the border. A notice published Wednesday in the U.S. Federal Register said U.S. Customs and Border Protection advises collecting five years’ worth of social media information from travellers from several countries that don’t need to get visas to come to the U.S., including Canada. It’s the latest move by the Trump administration when it comes to monitoring international…

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Is standard NACS charging a misfire for Canadian EV owners? | Driving.ca

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The march towards the EV future is filled with hurdles, and over the past year a new stumbling block has been dropped in the path of would-be owners: the adoption of a new charging standard. After years of the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) being used by almost every electric vehicle sold in North America outside of a Tesla showroom, car companies are beginning to shift over to the North American Charging Standard, or NACS, that has been used by Tesla since day one. For many manufacturers, the 2026 model year…

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Death to Free Taxes: IRS Officially Ends Its Direct File Tax Filing Software | CNET

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Rumors of the demise of the free IRS tax filing software Direct File have been circulating since Tax Day 2025. On Monday, the IRS officially ended the program, at least for 2026. In a letter to 25 states that supported the free filing program, the agency said, “IRS Direct File will not be available in Filing Season 2026,” and “no launch date has been set for the future,” per Nextgov. The IRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read full story here: Death to Free Taxes: IRS…

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U.S. to photograph Canadian travellers when they enter and exit at all land borders, airports | CBC News

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Warren Shepell had an unsettling experience this month when boarding his flight from Cleveland heading home to Toronto. Just before getting on the plane, he says two uniformed officers approached him on the boarding ramp (Jetway), and one took his photo. “I was aghast. I felt ambushed,” said Shepell, a noted Canadian psychologist. Read full story here: U.S. to photograph Canadian travellers when they enter and exit at all land borders, airports | CBC News

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Canadian snowbirds fingerprinted and photographed at U.S. border as part of new requirement | CBC News

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Several Canadian snowbirds reported they were fingerprinted and photographed at the U.S. border this month when registering for their winter stay, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told CBC News is now standard procedure. Jacquie and Steve Ree of Ladysmith, B.C., arrived at the Peace Arch Border Crossing between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., on Oct. 9. The snowbirds knew they’d have to comply with a new registration requirement for travelers staying in the United States longer than 29 days. So when a CBP officer said they could complete…

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Canadians caught in crossfire as U.S. customs searches of electronic devices rise at borders | CBC News

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released new data showing a sharp rise in electronic device searches at border crossings. From April to June alone, CBP conducted 14,899 electronic device searches, up more than 21 per cent from the previous quarter (23 per cent over the same period last year). Most of those were basic searches, but 1,075 were “advanced,” allowing officers to copy and analyze device contents. While electronic device searches jumped by 12.6 per cent over the past year, the total number of travellers entering the United…

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Canadians’ health data at risk of being handed over to U.S. authorities, experts warn | CBC News

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Canadians’ electronic health records need more protections to prevent foreign entities from accessing patient data, according to commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. “Canadian privacy law is badly outdated,” said Michael Geist, law professor and Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa and co-author of the commentary. “We’re now talking about decades since the last major change.” Geist says electronic medical records systems from clinics and hospitals — containing patients’ personal health information — are often controlled by U.S. companies. The data is…

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Nearly half of national public pension plan is invested in U.S. — and only 12% in Canada | CBC News

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As a former top Finance Department official, Susan Peterson played a key role years ago in creating the stable Canada Pension Plan that we see today. But even she was surprised by the numbers. A few weeks ago, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) revealed that 12 per cent of the CPP’s assets are invested in Canada — its lowest level ever. The largest chunk of its $714-billion fund, 47 per cent, is currently invested in the United States — its highest level ever. Read full story here: Nearly…

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U.S. college student pleads guilty in data breach that affected North American schools | CBC News

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A Massachusetts college student has agreed to plead guilty to hacking cloud-based education software provider PowerSchool and stealing data pertaining to millions of North American students and teachers that hackers used to extort the company and school districts into paying ransoms. Matthew Lane, 19, entered into a plea deal on Tuesday to resolve charges filed in federal court in Worcester, Mass., related to the hacking of two companies, which were then extorted for ransoms. Court papers did not identify the affected companies by name, but a person familiar with the…

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