The moment you install an app, it begins scavenging and pestering you for your data. It requests permissions to tap into your phone’s internals, asks you to register a handful of personal information — you know the drill. However, no matter how frugal and vigilant you are at each step, there’s still one way most apps end up covertly mining your data. Every app comes packaged with a range of what are technically called Software Development Kits (SDK). To understand these better, think of an app as a Lego house…
Read MoreNSP Ordered To Refund Millions To Customers, But Bills Not Likely To Shrink | CBC News
Nova Scotia Power was ordered to pay a multi-million dollar refund to customers Friday by regulators who ruled a mega-project once again failed to deliver promised benefits. Ratepayers are on the hook for the $1.57-billion Maritime Link, which was completed on time and on budget in 2017 to bring electricity from the Muskrat Falls hydro project into Nova Scotia via subsea cable across the Cabot Strait. The problem is customers haven’t been getting what they paid for. The Maritime Link has not delivered any electricity from Muskrat Falls. That project…
Read MoreLiberals Give Big 3 Wireless Providers Two Years To Cut Prices By 25 Percent | CBC News
The Liberal government is giving Canada’s big three national wireless providers two years to cut their basic prices for cellphone services by 25 per cent — and telling them it will step in to cut prices if they don’t comply. Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains issued the ultimatum today along with new spectrum auction rules that could open up Canada’s wireless market to new competition. “Yes, affordability is a challenge and we need to see lower prices,” Bains told CBC news. Bains said the government expects Bell, Telus…
Read MoreU.S. Tax Rules Raising The Stakes For Canadian Residents With American Citizenship | CBC News
Many Canadian residents with U.S. citizenship could risk fines or the closure of their banking or investment accounts in the coming months if they don’t provide financial institutions with U.S. identification numbers, officials warn. Experts say that in some cases, financial institutions may close accounts rather than face fines for not providing U.S. social security or taxpayer identification numbers for clients who could be subject to U.S. income tax, such as dual citizens. That means the stakes are about to get higher for those who haven’t been filing returns and for “accidental Americans” — Canadians…
Read MoreRCMP Acknowledges Using Facial Recognition Technology, But Won’t Say Where | CBC News
The RCMP has for the first time acknowledged using controversial facial recognition technology that has raised privacy concerns, saying it was used in the Mounties’ efforts to crack down on online child sexual abuse. The force said it has used the technology in 15 child exploitation investigations over the past four months, resulting in the identification and rescue of two children. The statement also mentioned that “a few units in the RCMP” are also using it to “enhance criminal investigations,” without providing detail about how widely and where. “We are…
Read MoreCanadian Businesses Rush To Plug A Gap In Electric-Vehicle Charging: Don Pittis | CBC News
The relatively small number of electric vehicles you see on the road today masks what many experts say is a disruptive revolution coming to the business of refuelling our vehicles. With some claiming as many as 80 per cent of conventional gas stations could be driven out of business in 15 years, Canadian companies are at the forefront of figuring out how to profit from the coming transformation of the business model for how we get a fill-up. Read full story here: Canadian Businesses Rush To Plug A Gap In…
Read MoreWe Bought Dozens Of Products From AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Walmart And Wish. Over Half Were Suspected Fakes | CBC News
It’s quick, convenient and ships right to your front door. But a Marketplace investigation found that you can’t always trust what you purchase online — even if the seller, platform or price seems legit. To test how prevalent counterfeits are online, Marketplace purchased dozens of well-known products — ranging from electronics to sportswear to cosmetics — from five popular online retailers: AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Wish. Read full story here: We Bought Dozens Of Products From AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Walmart And Wish. Over Half Were Suspected Fakes | CBC News
Read MoreCheck Out The First-Ever Electric Car Designed By Porsche, The 1898 P1 | Ars Technica
With the Porsche Taycan finally making its way to customers, we thought it would be worth looking back and remembering Porsche’s first battery-electric car. In this case, that means all the way back to 1898 and the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model. Thankfully, Mr. Porsche himself referred to the car simply as the P1. As a collaboration between electrical firm Bela Egger & Co. and Jacob Lohner & Co., the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, the C.2 Phaeton model, was a novel merging of two worlds into the newly created world…
Read MoreGoogle Knows What You Look Like. Here’s What It Means And How To Opt Out | CNET
Google’s Face Match technology isn’t everywhere yet, but it’s always looking. Find out what’s happening with your face data and what you can do to stop it. Google’s largest smart display, the Google Nest Hub Max, includes a controversial feature that’s always watching. Face Match, the name Google calls the technology, keeps a digital eye out for faces passing by. When it recognizes yours, it displays content just for you: photos, messages, appointments and even how long of a commute you can expect. Read full story here: Google Knows What You Look…
Read MoreHow Strong Is Your Password, Really? 9 Rules To Make, Remember And Manage Your Logins | CNET
The security of your bank account, Netflix account and email inbox depends on how well you safeguard your passwords. Strong passwords can help keep your data locked down Weak passwords, or overusing the same password, can have serious consequences if your data is compromised — even if that password is strong. For example, companies reported 5,183 data breaches in 2019 that exposed personal information like login credentials and home addresses that someone could use to defraud you or steal your identity. And since 2017, hackers published 555 million stolen passwords…
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