It's one of the more bizarre violations of our Right to Privacy I've ever come across: "friend" your apartment building's Facebook page or be found in breach of your rental agreement. That could mean eviction for those who refuse to "like" their apartment building on the social media platform within the 5-day window provided for in the contract. What is even more bizarre … [Read more...]
Why do American Doctors want to know if Patients own Firearms?
Why do American family physicians want to know if their patients own Firearms before treating them for [insert medical issue here]? The only doctor who will ask you about gun ownership before treating you is a doctor who hates guns. Any doctor who hunts or target shoots or believes in your Right to Self-Defense isn’t going to ask the question. He won’t care. It’s only … [Read more...]
Our Right to Privacy vs Police Need to Investigate Crime – Who Wins?
Police want easy access to personal information, generally with the assurance that they will not misuse the data they collect. The trouble is they almost always misuse the data, or if that statement seems too unfair, they often use it in ways never intended and they said they would never do. Take the testimony of Scott Naylor of the Ontario Provincial Police before the … [Read more...]
Are You A Terrorist or do you simply Value Your Privacy?
In digging through some information on another subject I stumbled across a copy of the moronic information pamphlet released by the FBI, titled "Communities Against Terrorism - Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities", in its efforts to curb terrorism by creating a cadre of informants. I'd forgotten about this pamphlet and I think a short review is in order so we all know … [Read more...]
Texas Protects Privacy of Texans’ Email from the prying eyes of the State
The Texas State Legislature sent HB 2268 to Governor Rick Perry’s desk on Tuesday, May 28, 2012. The bill is designed to protect citizens Right to Privacy by requiring all state law enforcement agencies to get a warrant for all emails, no matter how old those emails are. That’s a big difference from current US federal legislation. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act … [Read more...]
Privacy: We don’t care about it until the invasion of privacy gets up close and personal
We live in a strange age. We don't care that airport security screeners take what amounts to naked pictures of us with their "porn scanners" before allowing us to board our flight, something that was unimaginable just ten short years ago. We think nothing of posting our most private and intimate thoughts to Twitter or Facebook for the world to see. We happily share … [Read more...]
Privacy: A Relic from the Past by Jane Gaffin
George Orwell was right. Big Brother is watching! So is the menacing Big Sis over at the U.S.’s ubiquitous Homeland Security. That evil government department is in accelerated motion toward total world surveillance that transcends Orwell’s projections as well as that of screenwriters Patrick McGoohan and George Markstein whose unnerving British TV series The Prisoner … [Read more...]
Inside the Prime Minister’s Office after Vic Toews called all Canadians child pornographers
This video contains language not suitable for all audiences, as the saying goes, but is absolutely hilarious nevertheless. This clip has floated around the internet for some time, but never in the context of opposing Bill C-30. If you have a sense of humour, enjoy. And while you're here, how about downloading my Stop Bill C-30 WordPress plugin and installing it on your … [Read more...]
Protect Your Right to Privacy and Help Stop Bill C-30
The Conservative Government of Stephen Harper has introduced Bill C-30, disingenuously named the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. This Act seeks to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide police with your personal private information WITHOUT A SEARCH WARRANT. Warrantless searches are not something Canadians should tolerate or be subjected to. If … [Read more...]
What to do if the RCMP Calls You on the Phone About Your Firearms License
It has come to my attention that the RCMP may or may not be phoning people who have firearms licenses expiring within the next 12 months. I’ve heard of at least one individual who says they have been contacted on the telephone by someone claiming to be from the RCMP and that person demanded all kinds of personal information from them. NOTE You are under NO OBLIGATION to … [Read more...]