RCMP slammed for private surveillance use to trawl social media, ‘darknet’ | Global News

The RCMP has been quietly using private surveillance companies to trawl through social media accounts and “publicly available” information on the internet since at least 2015, a new report by Canada’s privacy watchdog reveals. And the national police force is rejecting the federal privacy commissioner’s recommendations on making their use of “third-party” surveillance vendors more transparent. Read full story here: RCMP slammed for private surveillance use to trawl social media, ‘darknet’ | Global News

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These services cost more in Canada than anywhere else in the world – here’s why | CTV News

As the cost of living rises in Canada, many are struggling to afford housing, transportation, gas and even food. But data shows that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs of everyday products and services in Canada have been some of the most expensive in the world. Here’s where Canadians end up paying more than other countries, and why: Read full story here: These services cost more in Canada than anywhere else in the world – here’s why | CTV News

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Internet Drama In Canada. (Really.) | USANews

Let’s discuss web coverage! In Canada! Wheee! I’m severe that there are helpful classes from a saga over house web service in Canada. What has been a promising, albeit imperfect, system that elevated selections and improved web service for Canadians is poised to disintegrate. Barring a last-minute authorities intervention at the moment or Friday, many smaller web suppliers in Canada are more likely to considerably improve their costs and lose clients or shut down. The dream of extra competitors main to higher web service for Canadians is on life help.…

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Africa and the Americas Pay the Most for the Worst Internet Service | PC Magazine

Internet connectivity can be expensive, especially when you upgrade your plan to get the best connection possible. Some areas in the United States pay as high as $7 per megabit. But what if you had a bad connection? How much would you still be willing to pay? According to Surfshark, the worst internet in the world is also the least affordable. Using information from the Digital Quality of Life index, Surfshark was able to determine that the regions that pay the most for internet also receive the worst-quality connections. Oceania…

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‘Internet Is The Only Lifeline They Have’: Canada Needs To Confront ‘Digital Divide’ Amid COVID-19 Crisis | CBC Radio

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing Canada to confront many of its hidden social inequalities, one of these being unequal access to the internet, an internet freedom advocate says. Laura Tribe, executive director of OpenMedia, says disproportionate access to the internet is often talked about in terms of only affecting the North or remote communities, however, the current public health crisis has shown the problem is just as common in many cities. “There are so many people throughout the country — even in urban areas — that don’t have the internet…

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Bell, Rogers, Other Telecoms Remove Internet Data Caps Amid COVID-19 | CTV News

TORONTO — As Canadians grapple with a growing list of cancellations, closures and travel restrictions, several Canadian telecom companies are temporarily removing overage fees on home internet plans amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. In a statement issued Saturday, Bell Canada, which owns CTV News, announced it will waive any additional usage fees for residential internet customers, including Bell Aliant, Bell MTS and Virgin Home Internet services, until the end of April. “Any overage fees will be waived automatically, so customers don’t need to make any changes to their accounts,” the…

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Bell Wants Permission To Gather And Track Customer Data | CBC News

Canada’s largest telecommunications group is getting mixed reviews for its plan to follow the lead of companies like Google and Facebook in collecting massive amounts of information about the activities and preferences of its customers.Bell Canada began asking its customers in December for permission to track everything they do with their home and mobile phones, internet, television, apps or any other services they get through Bell or its affiliates. Read full story here: Bell Wants Permission To Gather And Track Customer Data | CBC News

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In A Data Driven Tomorrow, Does Privacy Need To Survive the Future? | Digital Trends

“If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.” It was an argument we heard a lot in the years following Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s famous claim that privacy was no longer a social norm. A lot has changed in the eight years since. The web has evolved, new tools make it easier to protect our privacy online, and scandals with social networks and other online entities have made privacy itself a hot topic once again. Read full story here: In A Data Driven Tomorrow, Does Privacy Need To Survive the…

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

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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It’s A Canadian Thing: Why Big Phone Companies Still Dominate Internet Services Amid Cheaper Options | CBC News

There are few things that raise the hackles of Canadian consumers more than the cost of telecom services. But when it comes to rising internet costs at least, Canadians may have only themselves to blame. “There isn’t a lot of price elasticity [because] consumers aren’t leaving,” says Prof. Brynn Winegard, who teaches the neuroscience and psychology of consumer behaviour at York University’s Schulich School of Business in Toronto. “They know they can get those prices from those consumers.” says Winegard. Two of the big telecommunication providers — Bell and Rogers…

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