NEW REPORT: “Uncovering Webloc: An Analysis of Penlink’s Ad-based Geolocation Surveillance Tech”

Our research confirms that ad-based surveillance tech Webloc is used by military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies across the globe.

citizenlab.ca/research/ana...

Gotta name one Ferry Mowat (a tribute to noted environmentalist and Ontarian author Farley Mowat).

Justice Rewired: AI at the Frontlines of Crime and Criminal Justice - OsgoodePD Be up to date on the latest AI tools, schemes, scams and criminal justice system innovations and responses. Learn how AI is impacting and transforming the field of criminal justice in Canada from how ...

Today @upsideofdown.bsky.social is co-chairing Justice Rewired: AI at the Frontlines of Crime and Criminal Justice with Osgoode PD. The online conference explores how AI is reshaping criminal investigations, courts, and justice policy. Learn more: osgoodepd.ca/professional...

Ah well I see you've violated Asimov's less read but tremendously prescient Fourth Law of Robotics: "Never allow your Agentic AI to dress itself."

AI in Criminal Justice Project Overview The Law Commission of Ontario’s AI in Criminal Justice Project is a groundbreaking survey and analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Canadian criminal justice system. The pr...

The LCO AI in Crim Justice project addresses evidentiary and procedural questions just like these! Final report and recommendations coming soon...

www.lco-cdo.org/CrimAI

Great questions from the students today: would Ontario allow AI object detection in schools? Should AI systems be trusted to check other AI systems? How can a judge rely on AI tools that haven't been shown to work reliably?

Speaking this morning to ~80 high school students of the Law In Action Within Schools (LAWS) program was a chance to return the favour! Over the years LAWS students have contributed to projects at @lco-cdo.bsky.social and some have gone on to legal careers.

Close to $7M in core funding to eight leading access to justice organizations - The Law Foundation of Ontario The Law Foundation of Ontario has approved 8 new Catalyst grants, representing $6.9M over 3 years.

Today LCO Counsel @upsideofdown.bsky.social is attending the 1st meeting of John Howard Society of Ontario’s Digital Access to Justice project investigating how new legal tech can improve access to justice. See @lawfoundationon.bsky.social's funding announcement: lawfoundation.on.ca/news/close-t...

When Evidence Can Be Deepfaked, How Do Courts Decide What’s Real? | The Walrus AI is pushing Canada’s justice system toward a crisis of trust

LCO Counsel @upsideofdown.bsky.social is quoted in @thewalrus.ca's piece “When Evidence Can Be Deepfaked, How Do Courts Decide What’s Real?” in relation to his work on the AI in Criminal Justice project. Important read on where law, tech, and trust intersect.
thewalrus.ca/when-evidenc...

Ontario protection order regime in need of urgent reform: law commission - Law360 Canada A major law reform agency is saying that Ontario’s system for protection orders needs urgent reform to better prevent intimate partner and family violence in the province.

LCO Counsel Laura Snowdon discusses the state of Protection Orders in Ontario with @law360.bsky.social and shares some of the big questions for the Protection Orders project. Read the article here: www.law360.ca/ca/articles/...

Bezos thinks you'll give up your PC for the cloud — will DRAM prices make it true? Amazon's Jeff Bezos once revealed how he thinks of local PC hardware as antiquated, ready to be replaced by cloud options. Will DRAM prices make it come true?

The quiet part out loud: Amazon's Jeff Bezos thinks you'll one day ditch your PC for a rented cloud PC instead.

Will Big Tech even give us a choice?

buff.ly/N4GcTI4

Can’t wait to read this!

For our part the @lco-cdo.bsky.social 2024 Consumer Protection Project recommended Ontario regulate consumer notice to include “market contexts” - plain language descriptions of systems & real risks ie “structural uncertainties.” See p 33-36: www.lco-cdo.org/wp-content/u...

Consumer Protection in the Digital Marketplace Project Purpose The LCO’s Improving Consumer Protection in the Digital Marketplace: Final Report is the first comprehensive, independent review of Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA) in over 20 ...

Today @upsideofdown.bsky.social (Ryan Fritsch) joins Canada’s national Contract, Consumer, & Commercial Law Conference at @allard.ubc.ca to discuss legislative impacts of LCO's Consumer Protection project in Ontario & what’s next for digital consumer rights in Canada www.lco-cdo.org/en/our-curre...

Have you written this research up somewhere? I'd be interested as I'm researching the Canadian data brokering industry.

A room at the Law Society of Ontario full of public school educators learning about AI in Canada's civil and criminal legal systems.

A great morning with @ojenroej.bsky.social at the @lawsocietylso.bsky.social. AI is coming to civil & crim justice. What first principles - Charter Rights, procedural fairness, evidence law - guide us in governing AI through Canadian values? And how do we teach this lens to teens? Law in action!

AI in Criminal Justice Project Overview The Law Commission of Ontario’s AI in Criminal Justice Project is a groundbreaking survey and analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Canadian criminal justice system. The pr...

Should AI influence bail or sentencing decisions? Are AI-powered needs assessments in heath and social sectors reliable? Valid? Accurate? Today the LCO Crim AI Project consults with Legal Aid lawyers at the intersection where AI, evidence law and procedural fairness meet.

www.lco-cdo.org/CrimAI

Cops’ favorite AI tool automatically deletes evidence of when AI was used AI police tool is designed to avoid accountability, watchdog says.

The tech "seems designed to stymie any attempts at auditing, transparency, and accountability," according to a report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The fix is in.

No reason to trust city hall. This is an unfortunate thing.

The United States Is About to Embark on a Terrifying Experiment in Mass Statelessness This scenario, until recently, might have read like a dystopian projection. But after the court’s decision on Friday, it is no longer hypothetical.

"For the child born this summer in Texas, whose parents receive no documents, whose name never appears in any system, and who grows up asking why she can’t go on field trips, apply for scholarships, or open a bank account, the consequences are not legal theory. They are her life."

Opinion | Can We See Our Future in China’s Cameras?

Always bothered by the “what are we, China” discussions of surveillance, because Americans have done a bang-up job of creating their own expansive surveillance state, it’s just that lots of people are just beginning to notice.

AI in Criminal Justice Project Overview The Law Commission of Ontario’s AI in Criminal Justice Project is a groundbreaking survey and analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Canadian criminal justice system. The pr...

Get involved and share your experiences and views in LCO's Crim AI Project consultations: www.lco-cdo.org/CrimAI

The NYC Algorithm Deciding Which Families Are Under Watch for Child Abuse – The Markup How a family’s neighborhood, age, and mental health might get their case a deeper look

AI risk assessment and profiling tools may make generalized inferences and discriminatory assumptions that are unreliable, unfair, and can easily ruin lives. Should such tools have a role in Canadian courts?

themarkup.org/investigatio...

LCO’s @upsideofdown.bsky.social (Ryan Fritsch) led a discussion yesterday at the Canadian national conference of civilian police oversight agencies about the challenges and opportunities of AI in criminal justice. Get involved in LCOs criminal AI consultations: www.lco-cdo.org/CrimAI

Flock’s Newest Police Tool Sparks Data Controversy Flock Safety, a license plate reading tech firm that recently bought a drone company, is taking heat over the data sources for its new platform. It’s not the only law enforcement technology attracting...

“If the reports about Flock Nova are true, this is precisely the kind of dystopian panopticon we’ve warned about,” EFF’s @mguariglia.bsky.social told Government Technology News.

Civil society calls for overhaul of Canada’s approach to digital policy OpenMedia works to keep the Internet open, affordable, and surveillance-free. We create community-driven campaigns to engage, educate, and empower people to safeguard the Internet.

Canadian civil society and policy experts call on the government to advance a coherent digital policy reform agenda:

License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows Flock, which has license plate readers (LPRs) all around the country, wants police to be able to “jump from LPR to person,” according to leaked audio obtained by 404 Media.

www.404media.co/license-plat...

3 Teens Almost Got Away With Murder. Then Police Found Their Google Searches An arson attack in Colorado had detectives stumped. The way they solved the case could put everyone at risk.

An arson attack in Colorado had detectives stumped. The way they solved the case could put everyone at risk. www.wired.com/story/find-m...

License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows Flock, which has license plate readers (LPRs) all around the country, wants police to be able to “jump from LPR to person,” according to leaked audio obtained by 404 Media.

404 Media reports on the license plate reader company building a massive surveillance network that could help police more easily track people without a warrant or court order.
www.404media.co/lice...

ICYMI: We Robot 2025 has a new permanent online home @windsorlaw.bsky.social, along with 2 exciting updates:

🤖 Video links are now included for each of our panels. Revisit or check out the conversation if you couldn't join us in person.

🤖 And (see next post) 1/3

www.uwindsor.ca/law/3450/wer...

A good day for Puzzmo, and therefore, the world! I love the mix of games and chasing daily personal bests.