More often than not, Norway finds itself at, or near, the top of all the good lists — perhaps most notably as number 1 on the United Nations Human Development Index. It has now secured its place at the top of another list: the 21st century race to make zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) the norm. In 2020, Norway became the first country where the majority of passenger vehicle sales were ZEVs, specifically battery electric vehicles (BEV). Data from the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) shows that 54.3 per cent of all new…
Read MoreAre VPNs Legal In Canada? | Tom’s Guide
Virtual private networks, better known as VPNs, are one of the easiest ways for people to protect their data and identity, and keep their online activity hidden from the prying eyes of government agencies, internet service providers (ISPs), and hackers. That’s not all—because VPNs enable users to connect to servers around the world, they can also be used to unblock geo-specific content on streaming providers such as Netflix. So if you’re using a Canada VPN, you should be able to access content from US Netflix. Read full story here: Are…
Read MoreCivil Rights Groups Demand CBP Stops Facial Recognition Expansion At Airports | Engadget
The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation and more than a dozen other civil rights groups have objected to Customs and Border Protection’s plan to expand use of facial recognition at border entry and exit points. The Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule change last month that would authorize CBP to photograph foreign nationals at any point of departure, including airports and seaports. Those captured images can be used to create faceprints. Read full story here: Civil Rights Groups Demand CBP Stops Facial Recognition Expansion At Airports | Engadget
Read MoreConsumers Won’t Need Receipts To Benefit From One Of Canada’s Largest Class-action Settlements | CBC News
Social Sharing One of the largest class-action settlements in Canada could be worth money in your pocket. And depending on the size of your claim, you may not need to provide proof of purchase. Unlike some other class-action lawsuits that require reams of paperwork, the application process is easy. “We did our best to make it really simple,” said Naomi Kovak, a Vancouver lawyer with Camp Fiorante Matthews Morgerman LLP, one of the firms administering the settlement stemming from a lawsuit alleging anti-competitive behaviour against Microsoft. The settlement, which is capped at…
Read MoreCSIS Use Of Geolocation Data Could be Unlawful, Says Watchdog | CBC News
The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service’s use of publicly available geolocation data without a warrant may have broken the law, according to the country’s intelligence watchdog. The finding was included in the first annual report from the new National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, tabled in the House of Commons today. Geolocation data is digital information that can be used to determine the physical location of an electronic device. The review found that there’s a risk that CSIS breached Section 8 of the Charter — which protects against unreasonable search…
Read MoreGoogle And Apple Are Banning Technology For Sharing Users’ Location Data | The Verge
You may have never heard of the company X-Mode Social, but its code may be in some of the apps on your phone, tracking and selling your location data. Now, Google and Apple are trying to put a stop to it. According to a Wall Street Journal article, the tech companies have told developers to remove X-Mode’s code from their apps, or risk getting them pulled from their respective app stores. X-Mode works by giving developers code to put into their apps, known as an SDK, which tracks users’ location and then…
Read MoreDo You Have The COVID Alert App On Your iPhone? It Might Not Be Working | CBC News
A bug affecting Canada’s COVID Alert app has not been entirely fixed as federal officials first announced, leaving an unknown number of iPhone users still without exposure notifications. Last week, CBC News reported a glitch prevented the app from functioning properly on some smartphones for much of November. The federal agency developing the app initially said an update released on Nov. 23 fixed the problem. A Health Canada representative has now acknowledged the fix only solved the problem on Android devices, and “there are some instances of something similar happening” on iPhones.…
Read MoreEmera Refuses To Cut Shareholder Returns For ‘Grossly Overestimated’ Maritime Link | CBC News
The parent company of Nova Scotia Power has rejected a request from regulators to voluntarily reduce shareholder returns on the $1.5-billion Maritime Link, instead announcing a donation to the Salvation Army as compensation over delays. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board had urged Emera — through its affiliate Nova Scotia Power Maritime Link — to lower its nine per cent rate of return because the project has failed to deliver promised benefits. The transmission system was completed three years ago to import hydroelectricity from the massive turbines at Muskrat Falls in Labrador. Read full…
Read MoreWhy Some Travellers Get Permission To Cross The Canada-U.S. Border And Others Don’t | CBC News
Kim Zavesky is desperate to return to her home in Golden, B.C. After retiring last year, she and her husband — both Americans — sold their house in Chandler, Ariz., and moved most of their belongings to their second home in Golden, in southeastern British Columbia. The plan was to rent a place in the United States for the first part of the year and spend the rest of the year in Golden. But then the Canada-U.S. border closed to non-essential traffic in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, blocking the couple from accessing their Canadian property.…
Read MoreTrudeau Promises To Connect 98% Of Canadians To High-Speed Internet By 2026 | CBC News
After some pandemic-related delays, the Liberal government says it’s now on track to connect 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026. The announcement comes as more Canadians find themselves living online while stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a handful of cabinet ministers held a news conference in Ottawa to launch the $1.75 billion universal broadband fund — a program unveiled in the federal government’s 2019 budget and highlighted on the campaign trail and in September’s throne speech. Most of the…
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