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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