David TS Fraser

Canada's new Children's Privacy Code: An overview and some comments, new on my YouTube channel: youtu.be/uPh6nCokNpA

There are gaps in our privacy laws, but I think that the BC legislation may apply to the Crime Stoppers sections in that province. "Canadian privacy watchdogs powerless to hold Crime Stoppers accountable for data breach" www.cbc.ca/news/investi...

Heritage committee witnesses said social media bans don’t work, can backfire, require invasive data collection, and that kids find workarounds. MPs asked the government to study other countries first. Instead, it jumped to a ban now in C-34, with a review later. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/the-...

The C-34 debate had plenty of time for whether MPs back the Digital Safety Commission and none for whether a ban on every Canadian under 16 and ID checks for millions are consistent with the Charter. The regulator got priority. Privacy rights did not. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/regu...

This may be the most significant data breach in Canadian history. Not in terms of the numbers, but in terms of the nature of the records compromised. "More than 1.5 million Canadian Crime Stoppers tips leaked" www.cbc.ca/news/investi...

The government has released its Charter statement for Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act. As expected, it's full of hand-waving with no substantial engagement with the impact on freedom of expression. www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/...

Would a multi-agency, public-private mass surveillance system fly in Canada under our privacy laws? New on my YouTube channel: youtu.be/YMjMQqP75Y0

@jeffmacarthur.bsky.social spoke with Halifax-based @privacylawyer.ca about new legislation that could reshape our relationship with technology in Canada: youtu.be/rRGxRg3P25w?... Get the full episode of The AmberMac Show everywhere you get your podcasts.

👇 I can't imagine a more important time to release this special podcast episode on privacy, security, and Canada's digital legislation explained. NEW: The AmberMac Show with guests @privacylawyer.ca @duckduckgo.com & more here: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/b... cc @jeffmacarthur.bsky.social

I had a great conversation with @jeffmacarthur.bsky.social on the @ambermac.bsky.social show about all the digital bills currently pending before Parliament this fall. All of these will affect Canadians online. youtu.be/rRGxRg3P25w

I just received an email from the Government of Nigeria telling me that I'm entitled to compensation for having been scammed in the past. All I need to do is send them the amount of money I've lost and my personal information. Finally!

Glad to see Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, getting the attention it deserves as it moves to the Senate. A good speech from Senator Paula Simons in the Senate chamber: youtu.be/zMkMYeB2EyM

Mozilla has a clear statement on how problematic Bill C-22 is for user privacy and security: blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/20...

As Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, heads into the Senate, it is critical that the Bill gets "sober second thought". The Canadian Internet Society brought together some real experts on the technical side to help inform the discussion and debate. youtu.be/u_4UTHAdmIU

What Canadian law says about smart glasses, and using them in public and semi-public places. New on my YouTube channel: youtu.be/3S71hPTNzws

This is really gross. The fact that the legal regulator dismissed it out of hand means it was a meritless attack on a political opponent. The complainant should resign from public office. halifax.citynews.ca/2026/09/23/n...

As Parliament resumes today, it is timely to think about what the next months will bring in digital law-making. youtu.be/yq41GFhz0mY

Learning from online scams so you can recognize them and protect yourself. New on my YouTube channel. youtu.be/zeBxjeL3Fm4

Canadian online safety experts, The White Hatter, have a great plain-language explainer of the Charter and related issues that arise with current online safety proposals

While this ban is an easy sell for politicians, Canada's proposed ban on young people from using social media is likely unconstitutional. #BillC34 blog.privacylawyer.ca/2026/09/why-...

Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, prohibits people under 16 from having social media accounts. This restriction violates the freedom of expression guarantee in s. 2(b) of the Charter and is unlikely to survive a constitutional challenge. youtu.be/TmqjQgSCEWk

Let there be no doubt: the police in Canada want to be able to force companies to circumvent encryption. "Proposed law falls short on encrypted messages, police say" www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

How you can tell you're in the accounting department's supply room and not the IT department's ...

Anybody interested in the Canadian government's proposed social media ban for young people (which should be everybody) should pay attention to this.

Alberta court recognizes the tort of “intrusion upon seclusion” in the province, but tweaks it slightly compared to the Ontario version. See BD v Germain, 2026 ABKB 590 canlii.ca/t/kmsj5

As digital policy nerds heads into one of the last weekends of the summer, maybe it is time to think about what the next months will bring? youtu.be/yq41GFhz0mY

If you see a posting on social media by a police agency about a person who has been reported as missing, please amplify it. Also consider that postings that include the person's name that remain after they are found can have a long-term impact on them. #MissingPersons

Parliament returns Sept 21, and 3 major bills can reshape privacy & digital policy in Canada: Bill C-34 (online safety), Bill C-36 (privacy law), and Bill C-22 (lawful access). A new mega-regulator! What to watch for this fall. youtu.be/yq41GFhz0mY

What does "digital trade alignment" in the Canada-U.S. deal mean? Canada has already conceded on DST and streaming payments. Reversing on news links likely. But what about limits on data governance? C-22 encryption? C-34 age verification? Access to frontier AI? www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/08/digi...

The French Constitutional Council just found that the social media ban for under 15s connecting from France does not meet the constitutional requirements in terms of fundamental right preservation. www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/202...

This is such a no-brainer: The federal and provincial governments should finance a second and maybe a third production line. "Canadair water-bomber builder feels heat of demand as wildfires rage around the world" www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Until about a month ago, I knew exactly what was referred-to as a "lettuce slip".

New from me at @cba-nationalmag.bsky.social: Is the feds' digital privacy bill enlightened or uncertain? #cdnlaw #cdnpoli With thanks to @teresascassa.bsky.social and @privacylawyer.ca

New on my blog: "If the computer is not accountable, who is?" www.cyberleagle.com/2026/08/if-c...

A VERY IMPORTANT read from Canadian constitutional scholar Adam Dodek www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Privacy Commissioner of Canada welcomes efforts to modernize Privacy Act in submission to government consultation www.priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/...

Russia, China and Iran have signed the UN Cybercrime Convention. Until 11 days ago, Canada joined the US, Japan, and NZ in staying out. Without notice, it quietly signed despite human rights concerns. @kate-ro.bsky.social joins my Law Bytes podcast to discuss. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/07/epis...

Nine months ago, Canada joined key allies by declining to sign the UN Cybercrime Convention, given longstanding surveillance and human rights concerns as well as the absence of key safeguards. Last week, it quietly signed the treaty. What changed?

Government of Canada launches public consultation on AI transparency www.canada.ca/en/innovatio...

The RCMP really need to answer for this. Of course, they won't. www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...

I remember the Portapique mass casualty. I remember the public inquiry that followed it. Apparently the RCMP doesn't. This is unacceptable: "a spokesperson for the RCMP said the police force does not share information used in its operational decisions." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

It's even worse: the RCMP lifted the alert while he was still at large in the rural community. They shot him the next day. youtu.be/LPi93gRXYjw