Access and Privacy Online

News Summary May 23rd, 2026

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 23rd.  This week, privacy and transparency are colliding with some of the biggest political and public policy questions in the country.  We begin with a network update on Bill C-22, the federal lawful access bill that civil liberties groups are warning could expand surveillance powers and weaken online privacy protections.  Then we turn to Alberta, where the voter list breach continues to grow in significance—with new reporting on U.S. political technology links, court filings, safety risks for domestic violence survivors, and unanswered questions about how the personal information of nearly three million Albertans was exposed.  Across Canada, we look at privacy disputes involving short-term rental addresses, migrant access to health care, workplace AI, and the sex offender registry.  On access to information, we track Ontario’s new transparency restrictions, jail overcrowding, environmental accountability fights in Erin, climate modelling in Newfoundland and Labrador, Hydro-Québec secrecy, and Uber’s lobbying in Halifax.  And internationally, we look at public records and accountability stories from Romania, the United States, and Michigan—where freedom of information continues to show what governments and institutions would otherwise leave hidden.  Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260523-access-and-privacy-online [https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260523-access-and-privacy-online]  Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-21 [https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-21]  FIPA Voter Privacy  * House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 [https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237]  * Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca [https://www.voterprivacy.ca/]   * Bill C-4 Backgrounder: https://fipa.bc.ca/bill-c-4-background/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/bill-c-4-background/]  * Donate to Help Us Reach More Canadians: https://fipa.bc.ca/pr/donate-c4/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/pr/donate-c4/]  Support these efforts by subscribing [https://fipa.bc.ca/news-monitoring/] or donating [https://fipa.bc.ca/get-involved/donate/].  Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca [FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca]  Our Contributors:  Writing: Shaun Fisk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-fisk-213b4013b/?originalSubdomain=ca] | Production: Patrick Farnsworth [https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/about] | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder [http://www.breakmastercylinder.com/]   Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/]   News stories through the Canadian Press [https://www.thecanadianpress.com/], Feedly [https://feedly.com/homepage], and ICLMG [https://iclmg.ca/].  Available through: PodBean [https://fipanews.podbean.com/], Apple iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/access-and-privacy-online/id1754051345],  YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZmyymLln8nXbb0j6tGOJLea4tXqQjDTw], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1T3TLp2DJkCxUF4X1DAJwL], Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/68c9ef68-fbb0-4bdf-8d67-9e8b68c01409], iHeartRadio [https://iheart.com/podcast/188043276], PlayerFM. [https://player.fm/series/3581259] ListenNotes [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-freedom-of-so4LtBKpFX5/],  Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-5779843], Boomplay [https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/121938]

Spotlight: The Cyberattack on Canvas and Its Fallout

In last week’s News Summary for May 16th, we at FIPA spotlighted the fallout from a cyberattack on the online learning platform Canvas, the inherent risk of education systems relying on outside platforms for essential functions, and that when one is compromised, the impact can spread across thousands of schools almost instantly. We really wanted to highlight that story, and so we’re presenting it again on the feed for your consideration. Show Notes for May 16th News Summary: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260516-access-and-privacy-online [https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260516-access-and-privacy-online]  Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-20 [https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-20]  Support these efforts by subscribing [https://fipa.bc.ca/news-monitoring/] or donating [https://fipa.bc.ca/get-involved/donate/].  Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca [FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca]  House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 [https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237]  Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca [https://www.voterprivacy.ca/]  Access and Privacy Commentaries: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/]   Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/]  News stories through the Canadian Press [https://www.thecanadianpress.com/] and Feedly [https://feedly.com/homepage].  Available through: PodBean [https://fipanews.podbean.com/], Apple iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/access-and-privacy-online/id1754051345],  YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZmyymLln8nXbb0j6tGOJLea4tXqQjDTw], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1T3TLp2DJkCxUF4X1DAJwL], Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/68c9ef68-fbb0-4bdf-8d67-9e8b68c01409], iHeartRadio [https://iheart.com/podcast/188043276], PlayerFM. [https://player.fm/series/3581259] ListenNotes [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-freedom-of-so4LtBKpFX5/],  Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-5779843], Boomplay [https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/121938]

Spotlight: The Privacy Concerns of Connected Cars

In last week’s News Summary for May 16th, we at FIPA spotlighted privacy concerns regarding connected cars, namely major gaps in automakers’ privacy policies when measured against Canadian data-protection principles. We really wanted to highlight that story, and so we’re presenting it again on the feed for your consideration. Show Notes for May 16th News Summary: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260516-access-and-privacy-online [https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260516-access-and-privacy-online]  Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-20 [https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-20]  Support these efforts by subscribing [https://fipa.bc.ca/news-monitoring/] or donating [https://fipa.bc.ca/get-involved/donate/].  Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca [FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca]  House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 [https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237]  Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca [https://www.voterprivacy.ca/]  Access and Privacy Commentaries: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/]   Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/]  News stories through the Canadian Press [https://www.thecanadianpress.com/] and Feedly [https://feedly.com/homepage].  Available through: PodBean [https://fipanews.podbean.com/], Apple iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/access-and-privacy-online/id1754051345],  YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZmyymLln8nXbb0j6tGOJLea4tXqQjDTw], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1T3TLp2DJkCxUF4X1DAJwL], Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/68c9ef68-fbb0-4bdf-8d67-9e8b68c01409], iHeartRadio [https://iheart.com/podcast/188043276], PlayerFM. [https://player.fm/series/3581259] ListenNotes [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-freedom-of-so4LtBKpFX5/],  Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-5779843], Boomplay [https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/121938]

News Summary May 16th, 2026

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 16th.  This week, we begin in Alberta, where the voter list breach continues to widen—with Elections Alberta warning that the number of people who accessed the data may be incomplete, while privacy, election, and police investigations continue.  We then turn to a network update on political privacy, Bill C-25, Bill C-22, and B.C.’s Bill 9—all part of a broader national debate about who controls personal information and who gets access to public records.  We’ll also look at connected cars, after General Motors agreed to a record California privacy penalty for selling driver data.  And we’ll examine the Canvas cyberattack affecting thousands of schools, along with privacy stories involving PowerSchool, body cameras, medical AI, tax account breaches, and public accountability.   All before we dive into other stories from the week. Don’t forget you can find links to all the reporting that informs these summaries in our show notes.  Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260516-access-and-privacy-online [https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260516-access-and-privacy-online] Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-20 [https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-20]  FIPA Voter Privacy  * House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 [https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237]  * Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca [https://www.voterprivacy.ca/]   * Bill C-4 Backgrounder: https://fipa.bc.ca/bill-c-4-background/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/bill-c-4-background/]  * Donate to Help Us Reach More Canadians: https://fipa.bc.ca/pr/donate-c4/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/pr/donate-c4/] Support these efforts by subscribing [https://fipa.bc.ca/news-monitoring/] or donating [https://fipa.bc.ca/get-involved/donate/].  Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca [FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca]  Our Contributors:  Writing: Shaun Fisk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-fisk-213b4013b/?originalSubdomain=ca] | Production: Patrick Farnsworth [https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/about] | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder [http://www.breakmastercylinder.com/]   Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/]   News stories through the Canadian Press [https://www.thecanadianpress.com/], Feedly [https://feedly.com/homepage], and ICLMG [https://iclmg.ca/].  Available through: PodBean [https://fipanews.podbean.com/], Apple iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/access-and-privacy-online/id1754051345],  YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZmyymLln8nXbb0j6tGOJLea4tXqQjDTw], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1T3TLp2DJkCxUF4X1DAJwL], Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/68c9ef68-fbb0-4bdf-8d67-9e8b68c01409], iHeartRadio [https://iheart.com/podcast/188043276], PlayerFM. [https://player.fm/series/3581259] ListenNotes [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-freedom-of-so4LtBKpFX5/],  Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-5779843], Boomplay [https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/121938]

Commentary: Information misuse puts you at risk

FIPA President Mike Larsen reflects on the Alberta elector data breach.   In this commentary, he considers that when political parties are left outside meaningful privacy rules, sensitive democratic data can be collected, shared, and exposed without proper accountability.   Mike connects the Alberta breach to federal developments in Ottawa, including Bill C-25 and the earlier Bill C-4 changes. And he asks a direct question:    Should political parties be trusted to regulate themselves when handling Canadians’ personal information?  Support these efforts by subscribing [https://fipa.bc.ca/news-monitoring/] or donating [https://fipa.bc.ca/get-involved/donate/].  Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca [FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca]  House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 [https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237]  Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca [https://www.voterprivacy.ca/]  Access and Privacy Commentaries: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/]   Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ [https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/]  News stories through the Canadian Press [https://www.thecanadianpress.com/] and Feedly [https://feedly.com/homepage].  Available through: PodBean [https://fipanews.podbean.com/], Apple iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/access-and-privacy-online/id1754051345],  YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZmyymLln8nXbb0j6tGOJLea4tXqQjDTw], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1T3TLp2DJkCxUF4X1DAJwL], Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/68c9ef68-fbb0-4bdf-8d67-9e8b68c01409], iHeartRadio [https://iheart.com/podcast/188043276], PlayerFM. [https://player.fm/series/3581259] ListenNotes [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-freedom-of-so4LtBKpFX5/],  Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online-5779843], Boomplay [https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/121938]