Tag: Privacy

Federal Agencies Use Facial Recognition From Private Companies, But Almost Nobody Is Keeping Track | The Verge

mdbincbi

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed near-total lack of accountability from federal agencies using facial recognition built by private companies, like Clearview AI. Of the 14 federal agencies that said they used privately built facial recognition for criminal investigations, only Immigration and Customs Enforcement was in the process of implementing a list of approved facial recognition vendors and a log sheet for the technology’s use. Read full story here: Federal Agencies Use Facial Recognition From Private Companies, But Almost Nobody Is Keeping Track | The…

Read More

How Law Enforcement Gets Around Your Smartphone’s Encryption | Ars Technica

mdbincbi

Lawmakers and law enforcement agencies around the world, including in the United States, have increasingly called for backdoors in the encryption schemes that protect your data, arguing that national security is at stake. But new research indicates governments already have methods and tools that, for better or worse, let them access locked smartphones thanks to weaknesses in the security schemes of Android and iOS. Read full story here: How Law Enforcement Gets Around Your Smartphone’s Encryption | Ars Technica

Read More

Are VPNs Legal In Canada? | Tom’s Guide

mdbincbi

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 More

Civil Rights Groups Demand CBP Stops Facial Recognition Expansion At Airports | Engadget

mdbincbi

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 More

CSIS Use Of Geolocation Data Could be Unlawful, Says Watchdog | CBC News

mdbincbi

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 More

Google And Apple Are Banning Technology For Sharing Users’ Location Data | The Verge

mdbincbi

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 More

‘Deeply Concerning’: CBSA’s Use Of Surveillance Still Has No Federal Guidance, Experts Warn | Global News

mdbincbi

A newly released memo shows Canada’s border agency signed off on rules to guide its most intrusive intelligence operations months ago, but the federal government has yet to issue the ministerial direction. The memo, obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act, describes efforts stretching back seven years to introduce formal government instruction on the Canada Border Services Agency’s use of surveillance and confidential sources. Read full story here: ‘Deeply Concerning’: CBSA’s Use Of Surveillance Still Has No Federal Guidance, Experts Warn | Global News

Read More

Canadian Class-Action Suit Against Facebook Alleges Misuse Of Personal Information | CTV News

mdbincbi

OTTAWA — Two Facebook users are seeking damages on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Canadians whose personal data may have been improperly used for political purposes. The proposed class-action lawsuit filed by Calgary residents Saul Benary and Karma Holoboff asks the Federal Court to order the social-media giant to bolster its security practices to better protect sensitive information and comply with federal privacy law. It also seeks $1,000 for each of the approximately 622,000 Canadians whose information was shared with others through a digital app. In April last year,…

Read More

Police Are Using Facial Recognition For Minor Crimes Because They Can | CNET

mdbincbi

Cities all across the US have passed bans on facial recognition, with variations in how strong the regulations are. Though Portland, Oregon, banned facial recognition from all government and commercial use, others are only limiting it from police use. Some cities, like Detroit, have enacted lighter measures, such as allowing facial recognition to be used only when investigating violent crimes, while police in New York have been able to use the technology for crimes like shoplifting. On Oct. 9, a New York judge decided in a package-theft case that facial…

Read More

CRA Cyberattacks Impacted Four Times As Many Accounts As Previously Believed | CTV News

mdbincbi

OTTAWA — In a major update to the impact of a series of credential stuffing attacks on government websites including the Canada Revenue Agency, the country’s top information officer now says that “suspicious activities” have been found on 48,500 CRA user accounts. In August the CRA temporarily shut down its online services and applications after hackers used thousands of previously stolen usernames and passwords to fraudulently access government services in three separate but serious breaches, compromising the personal information of thousands. Read full story here: CRA Cyberattacks Impacted Four Times…

Read More