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Passport Canada Suffers Massive Privacy Breach

The Globe and Mail reports that Passport Canada has suffered a massive privacy breach that resulted in online availability of applicant information. I argue that this again highlights the need for mandatory security breach notification legislation. Update: The incident is raised during Question Period on the floor of the House […]

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December 4, 2007 — Comments are Disabled — News

RCMP Says Ebay Not Cooperating With Investigation

An RCMP officer says that eBay is trying to hide a "hijacking" problem that has victimized about one thousand Canadians since 2000. Update: eBay has responded, arguing it is an "Internet" problem, not an eBay problem. 

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December 4, 2007 — 1 comment — News

Quebec Cybercasino Fined For Online Gaming

The CBC reports that the company that administers the world's largest internet casino – Golden Palace.com – has pled guilty in Quebec to charges of illegal gambling, in a case that raises questions about First Nations' right to hand out gaming licences.

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December 4, 2007 — Comments are Disabled — News

Songwriters Association of Canada Calls for Legalized P2P File Sharing

The Songwriters Association of Canada has released an important new proposal calling for the legalization of peer-to-peer file sharing.  The SAC has proposed the creation of a new right – the Right to Equitable Remuneration for Music File Sharing.  The new right would make it legal to share music on […]

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December 3, 2007 — 37 comments — News

Ontario Chamber of Commerce Floats Counterfeit Numbers

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is out today with a new report on intellectual property which recycles many of the demands of the copyright lobby – WIPO ratification, tougher penalties, and a handful of task forces.  What makes the report unique, however, is its claims about the size and scope of the counterfeiting issue in Canada.  The report includes the RCMP's discredited $30 billion claim and even though the RCMP has backed away from it, the report states that it is a "widely accepted" estimate. 

The Chamber's press release trumpets $22.5 billion in counterfeiting losses for Canada of which it says $9 billion comes from Ontario.  How did it arrive at this figure? 

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December 3, 2007 — 3 comments — News