Skyway Recommended March 17th to 30th

Michael Geist Blog | Canadian Telcos Hand Over Data on Thousands of Subscribers Without a Warrant

The debate over Bill C-13, the government’s latest lawful access bill, is set to resume shortly.  The government has argued that the bill should not raise concerns since new police powers involve court oversight and the mandatory warrantless disclosure provisions that raised widespread concern in the last bill have been removed.  While that is the government’s talking points, I’ve posted on how this bill now includes incentives for telecom companies and other intermediaries to disclose subscriber information without court oversight since it grants them full civil and criminal immunity for doing so. Moreover, newly released data suggests that the telecom companies don’t seem to need much of an incentive as they are already disclosing subscriber data on thousands of Canadians every year without court oversight. Read More…

The Guardian | Seven kids coding projects that crowdfunded their first steps

There’s currently a big buzz around the idea of kids learning to code, fuelled in the UK by the fact that from September, programming will be part of the curriculum for children as young as five years old. There are also a number of communities emerging around this area: parents keen to give their children the chance to see if they take to coding; teachers figuring out what tools and languages to use in the classroom; volunteers running after-school coding clubs; and technology companies contributing funding and other resources. Read More…

Netflix Blog | Internet Tolls And The Case For Strong Net Neutrality

The Internet is improving lives everywhere – democratizing access to ideas, services and goods. To ensure the Internet remains humanity’s most important platform for progress, net neutrality must be defended and strengthened. The essence of net neutrality is that ISPs such as AT&T and Comcast don’t restrict, influence or otherwise meddle with the choices consumers make. The traditional form of net neutrality which was recently overturned by a Verizon lawsuit is important, but insufficient. Read More…

Huffington Post | TED Vancouver: Adrianne Haslet-Davis, Boston Bombing Amputee, Dances For 1st Time

For the first time since she lost her left leg in the Boston Marathon bombing, a ballroom dance teacher performed on stage, bringing an emotional climax to a TED Conference talk by the man who created her bionic leg. In a short, sparkly dress, Adrianne Haslet-Davis danced a rumba with dance partner Christian Lightner in Vancouver on Wednesday. The packed audience — many with tears in their eyes — rose to their feet in a “thunderous standing ovation,” reported The Vancouver Sun. Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore, who is attending the conference, later went over to congratulate her. Read More…