Tag: Privacy

‘It’s Terrifying’: Marketplace’s Smart Home Hacking Tests Reveal Major Privacy Concerns | CBC News

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All it took was a white van, a team of three hackers and a phishing email to remotely unlock Johanna Kenwood and Peter Yarema’s front door. The couple’s home in Oakville, Ont., is automated with a number of smart devices, including their lights, thermostat, security cameras and the deadbolt on their door. “I like the security and knowing what’s going on in my house when I’m away,” said Kenwood. And the couple enjoys the “convenience” of an automated home, said Yarema, for “some of the simpler things,” like when your…

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RCMP And Privacy Commissioner Probe Alleged NCIX Data Breach | CBC News

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The RCMP and Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia are investigating allegations of a possible data breach involving the bankrupt computer retailer NCIX. Authorities are investigating a claim that NCIX’s database servers have been advertised for sale online with all of the information still intact. In doing so, it may have compromised the security of countless customers. According to a statement from Richmond RCMP, the case was opened Thursday and police have seized the servers. Read full story here: RCMP And Privacy Commissioner Probe Alleged NCIX Data Breach | CBC News  

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Privacy Experts Say Choosing Life Insurance Tied To Fitness Tracking Could Have Unintended Consequences | CBC News

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Privacy experts say they’re concerned life-insurance programs that reward customers for behaviours like logging their activity using a fitness tracker could have unintended consequences for the safety of their personal data. Insurance giant John Hancock, owned by Canadian company Manulife Financial Corp., announced Thursday a switch to “interactive” life-insurance policies only, which offer incentives for things like wearing a Fitbit or other fitness tracker. Customers in John Hancock’s program — a partnership with Vitality Group — do not have to log their activities to get coverage, but can receive discounts or other perks if they do. The…

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Hackers Have Planted Credit Card Stealing Malware On Local Government Payment Sites | TechCrunch

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Security firm FireEye has confirmed that a widely used web payment portal used to pay for local government services, like utilities and permits, has been targeted by hackers. Hackers have broken into self-hosted Click2Gov servers operated by local governments across the US, likely using a vulnerability in the portal’s web server that allowed the attacker to upload malware to siphon off payment card data over a period of “weeks to numerous months,” Nick Richard, principal threat intelligence analyst at FireEye, told TechCrunch. Read full story here: Hackers Have Planted Credit Card Stealing…

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Will Your Cannabis Credit Card Purchases Be Visible To U.S. Border Officials? (Some Might, Some Won’t.) – National | Globalnews.ca

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Legalizing cannabis is a complicated business with lots of moving parts. The question of how a credit card marijuana purchase will appear on your statement would seem not to make a list of the top 50 issues. And it wouldn’t, except for two awkward facts: U.S. law allows border officials to ban Canadians for life from their country for using marijuana in this country, even when it’s legal here. (A senior official confirmed last week that they are willing to do this in practice.) Read full story here: Will Your Cannabis Credit…

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Who Has Your Data? Researchers Scrutinize Apps For Undisclosed Ties To Advertisers, Analytics Companies | CBC News

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If you want to better understand how an app or a service plans to use your personal information, its privacy policy is often a good place to start. But a recent study found there can be a gap between what’s described in that privacy policy, and what the app actually collects and shares. An analysis by University of Toronto researchers found hundreds of Android apps that disclosed the collection of personal information for the app developer’s own purposes — but, at the same time, didn’t disclose the presence of third-party…

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Cellphone Tracking Has Been Used In At Least 1 Canadian Mall, Former Employee Says | CBC News

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A Canadian real estate company already under investigation for using facial recognition technology in malls may also be tracking the movement of shoppers using mobile phones. A former employee of Cadillac Fairview told CBC News he was aware of at least one of the company’s Canadian shopping centres that had a system installed to track cellphone movement throughout the mall to collect market research data. CBC News has agreed to keep the former employee’s identity confidential. He worked directly for Cadillac Fairview in security for more than three years, and was responsible…

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Can Canadian Border Agents Search Your Phone Or Laptop? A New Guide Explains | CTV News

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A civil liberties group has published a new guide for people concerned about Canadian border agents searching their electronic devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets. Although there are unsettled legal questions about how these searches should work, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says “the bottom line is that the CBSA can and does search electronic devices at the border” without a warrant and sometimes randomly. That means border agents could end up seeing private emails and text messages, photos, web browser histories and sensitive documents, even if you’ve done nothing…

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The TSA Has Been Quietly Tracking American Travelers Who Are Not On Government Watch Lists | The Verge

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According to a new report from The Boston Globe, federal air marshals are tracking American citizens who are not currently under investigation or on a terrorist watch list by way of a previously unknown Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program. The program is called “Quiet Skies,” which directs federal air marshals to track Americans on domestic flights who may be affiliated with someone on a watch list or whose travel patterns mirror those of suspected terrorist. Individuals being tracked through Quiet Skies are not suspected of any crimes, according to the…

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Will Canada Become The Next Country To Offer Mobile Passports? Feds Studying Idea Despite Privacy Fears – National | Globalnews.ca

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Immigration officials are exploring the idea of allowing Canadians to renew or potentially use their passports via mobile apps on their phones. If you have a Canadian passport, you know the deal. Every five to 10 years, you go through the process of filling out forms, gathering photos and references and mailing it all in to Passport Canada, all in the name of renewing the little blue booklet that lets Canadians travel abroad. Once at the airport, you take it out for check-in, during security screenings, to show the gate…

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