Renewed cyber security strategy needs industry involved
“This has been a land, sea, air, cyber, space, and information operation,” an official with the Canadian Joint Operations Command summed up last week as Russian troops pushed into Ukraine. “This has been an all-domain operation.” As if to drive the point home, in the hours that followed, the Communications Security Establishment released what would […]
No more polls: Canadians want more information about spying
In the public eye, Canada’s intelligence agencies still possess an invisibility cloak. The strange truth is that the spies would like to discard it (or most of it) and that the public wants it gone. These and other findings emerge from public opinion polls sponsored by Canada’s two main intelligence agencies—the Canadian Security Intelligence Service […]
Deepfake technology a cybersecurity threat that calls for multilateral co-operation
Katie Jones was a pretty, successful young woman that worked for a prestigious American think tank and was connected to many influential security professionals on LinkedIn. She also didn’t exist. The face in her profile picture was likely computer-generated and created by foreign intelligence operatives. If you want to make a fake face too, visit […]
Deep fakes and big data: the next level of cyber warfare
Most people are unaware of the personal security risks confronting them when they make use of 21st century technology. Threats are embedded in the facial recognition technology that opens your iPhone, Chatbots on your online shopping sites, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) deployed in military operations. These technologies form a juggernaut of sophisticated devices storing […]
Cybersecurity is security and we’re only as secure as our weakest links
Cybersecurity has never been more vital to a nation’s security—its people, government, educational institutions, and businesses of all sizes. It is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face. Yet we are often reactive instead of proactive when it comes to cyberattacks, only acting after the fact. We’re then left to […]
Bill C-11 was the gift that needed returning
Sometimes a long-awaited gift that arrives wrapped in sparkly paper disappoints when it is opened. That is the case with Bill C-11, introduced in November 2020, which included the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA). Pitched as an implementation of the privacy promises made in the Digital Charter, and as an answer to a decade’s worth […]
Time for a renovation of Canada’s privacy laws
The federal government must introduce a mix of legislation and policies to better protect Canadians and their personal information. On the legislative front, this must start with reforming Canada’s commercial privacy legislation. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) was passed into law in 2001. It established the federal privacy commissioner as an […]
Canadians are taking steps to protect their personal information—the government needs to do the same
With skyrocketing reports of phone scams, phishing attacks, and identity fraud, it’s clear: the personal data of Canadians is increasingly coveted by scammers and other nefarious actors. Fortunately, a vast majority of Canadians are aware of the significance of their personal information, with 74 per cent taking steps last year to better protect their personal […]
Businesses need federal investment in cybersecurity, says Beatty
In the midst of an unprecedented number of cyberattacks across the world, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says the federal government needs to invest more to assist small- and medium-sized businesses with cybersecurity measures. On June 29, the Chamber (CCC) launched its Cyber. Right. Now campaign, alongside 28 leading tech organizations from across Canada, such […]
To boost Canadian innovation, resist the lure of Silicon Valley
TORONTO—Kitchener-Waterloo made a big deal out of attracting Google to set up a large R&D branch plant in an old industrial building there. Not to be outdone, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the early days of his government, made a high-profile visit lauding Google’s expanding R&D branch plant. He wanted Google to play a bigger […]
