Archive for the ‘Privacy’ Category

The Commodification of Intellectual Property, and You!

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

I recently attended a lecture by professor Bruce Ziff, of the University of Alberta Law School, where he described what he termed as his only original academic idea. He posited that the reason we as a society are so restrictive about property rights is because it is basically impossible to ...

Targeting Individuals: Targeted Advertising on Online Social Networks

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

Advertising has always been, or has tried to be, “targeted” at potential and existing customers. The entire purpose of advertising has, and continues to be, to communicate the virtues of a product or services to consumers in the marketplace in an effort to turn potential consumers into actual customers. In the ...

Save Face or Facebook? Why You May Want to Think Twice Before Posting Private Information Online.

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

A recent CBC news story showed several Canada Border Service agents having posted damaging comments and pictures on their Facebook profiles. The pictures showed them partying and drinking while in uniform, and the remarks revealed an inability to discern between certain foreign passports. While the article will undoubtedly raise issues of national security, it should ...

Canada to Criminalize Identity Theft

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

Canada is getting serious on identity theft! Will sharpening the teeth of the criminal law be enough? To clarify the news headlines, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s has announced that proposed legislation intends to criminalize preparatory offences, such as gathering and/or trafficking confidential personal information for the purposes of deceit or fraud. ...

Google’s Personal Databases: So Maybe Google Can Get Copyright Protection, but is it Warranted?

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

So Google, at the behest of the European Union, is compiling what could be the largest personal database the world has ever seen. Does this sound a little Orwellian to anyone? The privacy implications of Google’s actions should concern just about every user of the search engine and internet. As rightly pointed ...

Canada to Criminalize Identity Theft

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

The move to criminalize identity theft comes amid pressing calls to modernize current privacy laws that have be made irrelevant by rapidly evolving technologies. Identity theft, that is the unauthorized gathering, possessing of or dealing in identity information, is not caught by the existing Criminal Code. While several activities integral ...

Digital Rights Activist Confirms Threat of Infringements on Personal Freedom from Google and Government Databases

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Cory Doctorow is a firm advocate for digital rights and based on his bio, today’s youth can relate to his childhood experience of learning to type even before learning to write.  Although, as Doctorow submits, with the advent of technology and especially the world wide web come tools of digital ...

The Dangers of Facebook

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

   The ever-growing world of online social networking is a creature with many faces. From organizing events to finding companionship, programs such as Facebook offer something for everybody. But as the recent fiasco involving Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers shows, beneath the superficial glitter lies a dark and potentially dangerous side to the technology. ...

Canada to Criminalize Identity Theft

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

   While it may be somewhat premature to criticize the government on their plans to criminalize identity theft, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s recent announcement seems to demonstrate the government’s rather narrow appreciation for the scope of the problem.  Based on a reading of the press release provided by the Office of the Minister of ...

Google’s Street View may violate Canadian Privacy Laws

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Several months ago, web giant Google unveiled the latest feature of their popular mapping website, Google Maps. Street View allows users to get a panoramic view of selected locations around major cities in the United States. Now it’s being suggested that Canada is next on the list for this feature, ...