Direct Global/Direct Co-ops @directcoops

Bill C-34 creates a social media ban for Canadians under 16 at the expense of all Canadians' privacy. Sections 26, 27(1), and 27(2) of Bill C-34 require that affected social media platforms “implement age-verification and age-estimation measures designed to prevent a person under the age of 16 from being able to have an account with, or be otherwise registered with,” those social media platforms. Bill C-34 requires that such measures must provide for the “protection” and eventual “destruction” of “personal information that is collected for age-verification or age-estimation purposes.” It is not yet clear how this will be accomplished. What is clear is that these measures must be “effective.” Users commonly verify their age by submitting government-issued identification documents, such as driver’s licenses or passports. And, the technology exists for social media platforms to estimate the ages of users through biometric data, e.g., facial geometry, eye shape, skin elasticity, hairline, etcetera. This age-verification and age-estimation monitoring will not be limited to Canadians under age 16. For social media platforms to determine access eligibility for any user, platforms will have to evaluate the access eligibility of every user. The goal of Bill C-34 is not merely to remove Canadians under age 16 from affected social media platforms but to keep them off those platforms. To achieve this goal, social media platforms may be compelled to adopt ongoing age-verification/estimation measures to ensure continued compliance. However affected social media platforms satisfy these requirements, Bill C-34 fundamentally reimagines how all Canadians access social media. This Bill deputizes affected social media platforms into forcing Canadians to surrender more data as a precondition of participation in the digital public square. This, in turn, raises serious concerns about Canadians' privacy rights and may engage constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure - guaranteed by section 8 of the Charter. Read the full text of the bill here: parl.ca/documentviewer…

Who's behind the massive lobbying campaign to expand the island airport? What I discovered should worry us all thestar.com/opinion/star-c… via @TorontoStar

Warning from Apple to Canada on Bill C-22 "As you know, this may be one of the last times we're permitted to discuss the consequences of this legislation publicly." "That's because of the bill's secrecy provisions which forbid companies like Apple from even discussing the orders we receive with our users or the public." @Apple

We won't be far behind if C-22 passes. In its current state, VPNs would almost certainly require us to log identifying user data. Signal isn't headquartered in Canada so they can just shut off Canadian servers, but our HQ is. We pay an ungodly amount of taxes to this corrupt government, and in return they want to destroy the entire essence of our service to basically spy on its own citizens. Not happening. We'll move HQ and take our taxes elsewhere.

Globe Politics @globepolitics

a month ago

Signal warns it would pull out of Canada if made to comply with lawful access bill theglobeandmail.com/politics/artic…

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Signal warns it would pull out of Canada if made to comply with lawful access bill theglobeandmail.com/politics/artic…

We are spending at least $500 million a day to bomb Iran. Imagine how many teachers we could hire, how many public housing units we could build, how many bridges and roads we could fix, if we spent that kind of money on improving life for working people?

Grocery prices are up 30% in five years. Families are spending $1,000 more just to buy the same food. And now grocery giants and tech companies are teaming up to use AI-powered algorithms and electronic shelf labels to charge you even more for the same carton of eggs, based on your data, your searches, what you click. This is called surveillance pricing, and I'm bringing a vote to ban it in Ontario. Manitoba's NDP government banned it. Doug Ford can too. He just has to choose people over corporations.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani just made history. New York’s first-ever pied-à-terre tax — an annual fee on luxury properties worth $5M+ owned by people who don’t even live here. Ken Griffin bought a $238M penthouse in NYC. He doesn’t live here. It sits empty. While working New Yorkers can’t afford rent. That changes today. $500M annually — straight to childcare, clean streets, and safer neighborhoods. This is what governing for people looks like.

A Montreal physician of 30 years is speaking out against Canada's assisted suicide policies, saying: "Bill C-218 must be passed to halt euthanasia for individuals with mental illness… These people aren't seeking death—they're seeking relief from their suffering."

BREAKING : 🇺🇸 NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called out Trump for spending billions to kill people in 🇮🇷 Iran Journalist — Are you against Iran War? Mamdani — We are talking about a war that killed thousands of civilians, so yes I am dead against it 🔥 Journalist — Does it frustrate you seeing $900 million a day getting wasted on such wars? Mamdani — We are spending tens of billions of dollars to kill people, that money could have been used to make life easier for our people “We always seem to have money for war, but not to feed the poor” 🔥 Finally a sane voice from within the United States, we need more such people at the top who can lead the world towards peace. Respect 🫡

Let me get this straight. You’ve been in power for ten years. You’ve doubled the debt. You’ve weakened the economy. And now, your answer is to trap young Canadians? On stage, the Liberal Party of Canada brings out Patrick Pichette, a former senior executive at Google, who now lives in Europe, to suggest that Canadians who want to pursue opportunities in the United States should face an exit tax of $500,000. Half a million dollars to leave your own country. This, from someone who once left Canada himself to build a career in the U.S. and paid virtually nothing to do so. So let’s be honest about what this is. It is not economic policy. It is not nation building. It is control. A government that has mismanaged the economy now wants to limit your ability to seek opportunity elsewhere. Instead of creating reasons to stay, they are looking for ways to make it harder to leave. You do not grow a country by locking people in. You grow it by giving them a reason to believe in it.

"To bring down the cost of food quickly, Ottawa could eliminate the GST on all food items, scrap the industrial carbon tax, and work with the provinces to remove interprovincial trade barriers to boost competition. Those measures alone would make a meaningful difference."

Imagine a world where hard work is rewarded, truth and justice prevail in courtrooms, the government doesn’t steal your labor by debasing the currency, bureaucrats aren’t captured by corporations, and our taxes go toward critical infrastructure instead of wars overseas.

The most dangerous taxes in our food economy are the ones you don’t see, ever. Hidden from plain view, they quietly rise year after year, making them difficult to politicize or even explain to Canadians. Carbon, booze, gas, you name it. It’s a clever strategy: revenues increase, yet accountability fades. Meanwhile, blame is conveniently shifted to industry—an easy target, and a very convenient one. ctvnews.ca/politics/artic…

I don't think people understand the gravity of the situation as the UN is preparing for possible nuclear weapon use in Iran. This is a picture of Tehran. For you uneducated, untraveled, never-served, warhawks licking your chops at the thought of bombing it. It's not some low population desert. There are families, children, family pets. Regular working class people with dreams. You're sick to want war. Tehran is a city of nearly 10,000,000 people. Imagine nuking Washington, Berlin, Paris, London, or beyond, bombed with nuclear weapons. I gave up my diplomatic career to leak this information. I suspended my duties so as not to be part of or a witness to this crime against humanity, in an attempt to prevent a nuclear winter before it is too late. Yesterday, nearly ten million people protested “No Kings” in the United States. The possibility of the use of nuclear weapons must be taken very seriously. It's dangerous. Act now. Spread this message worldwide. Take the streets. Protest for our humanity and future. Only the people can stop it. History will remember us.

In less than a decade since the legalization of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), Canada is on track to surpass 100,000 assisted deaths. When this policy was introduced, Canadians were told it would be a last resort, reserved for those nearing the end of life, with strict safeguards in place. Families are now speaking out about cases where assessments appeared rushed, loved ones were not informed of final decisions, and safeguards did not seem to function as intended. Canada must be able to have an honest conversation about MAID, and how we support and protect vulnerable Canadians. nationalpost.com/news/families-…

Canada's new surveillance bill requires every electronic service provider to store your location data, device info, and other metadata for a year. Not just suspects. Everyone. Just in case police want it later.

Reclaim The Net @ReclaimTheNetHQ

3 months ago

Canada’s Bill C-22 Mandates Mass Metadata Surveillance of Canadians reclaimthenet.org/canada-bill-c2…

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#ONpoli Everyone needs to understand this: Doug Ford was about to be forced to hand over his personal cell phone records before coming up with a new RETROACTIVE law to override that. This is 100% a cover up. Shady AF.

Colin D'Mello | Global News @ColinDMello

3 months ago

Back in January, Global News reported on Premier Doug Ford losing a court challenge over an FOI into his personal cell phone records. The decision would have compelled him to disclose those logs to the IPC. Changing the FOI laws = killing the FOI. #onpoli

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Fun fact. The Switzerlands largest supermarket, Migros, doesn’t sell alcohol or tobacco in stores, pays no dividends, caps profits by lowering prices if earnings exceeds 5%, is a cooperative with 2M+ members, and donates 1% of revenue to social projects, purely out of the founders moral philosophy

The Ontario government has indicated that it will introduce legislation exempting the Premier, the provincial cabinet and its offices from Freedom of Information requests. If this legislation passes, the Ontario government will be effectively insulated from public scrutiny, and major government decisions affecting more than 14 million citizens will be made behind an impermeable veil of secrecy. The Justice Centre champions freedom of expression. This freedom, according to the Supreme Court of Canada, also protects the right of members of the public, as listeners and readers, to access information pertaining to public institutions. Contact your Ontario MPP today here: ola.org/en/members/cur…. Tell your elected representative that you expect your government to make decisions in the open. Read the full article in the Globe and Mail here: theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…