Hard Pass

It looks like they updated the article, I am disappointed but the screenshot lives on. Why can't we have anything nice anymore

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The Public Safety Canada memo, prepared to address concerns about Chinese vehicles, urges Canadians to be mindful of the security and privacy risks of the digital devices they buy and use.

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"Opening our markets to new players can amplify the presence of high-risk vendors. Connected vehicles, similar to other smart or internet-connected devices, collect significant amounts of data on Canadians, which can have intelligence value," it says.

"For example, unauthorized access to data and connected vehicle systems could be used to establish patterns of life or conduct surveillance on sensitive sites."

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It points out that companies in Canada must comply with federal privacy law, or provincial equivalents, that set out rules for collecting, using and disclosing personal information.

The memo adds, however, that it's important to remember the national security laws of certain countries, like China, can compel manufacturers and suppliers to share data with their home government or police.

"The risk that Canadian data collected by connected vehicles are accessed and exploited increases when these data are sent to — or transit through — foreign jurisdictions with more permissive data management frameworks."

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In addition, foreign ownership of the infrastructure — such as the digital cloud — that supports the connected devices can pose a risk to privacy and cybersecurity, the memo says.

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A copy of this was posted on 196's Meta room.

PSA: The /ignore command exists and yall may use it liberally.

• If a user is toxic and no mods are around, feel free to use it after notifying a mod.

• If yall dislike the content, words, or language of a certain person, yall should first ask them to accomedate yall. If they don't, ignore them. Common examples are users who don't use content warnings for sensitive content, even after being told to do so.

• Temporary ignores are a thing too, if need arises.

On fluffy, yall may also use "Set as low priority" to make a room go to the bottom of yall's room list, like if a difficult conversation is happening.

The /ignore command doesn't make the conversation as fragmented as yall would think so, it's not like the person who yall have blocked has anything meaningful to contribute, and yall would still be able to see their read reciepts and know that they're talking.

For Appie, after she left the modding team, she blocked a couple of users, and finally feels safe enoguh to be in some rooms. She couldn't do this previously because as a mod, she thought she had to be able to interact with all users.

Stay safe out there, and protect yall's minds ❤️

Archived link

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The report by the Montreal Institute for Global Security examines how the Chinese Communist Party operates across Canada and other G7 countries through networks tied to business, academia, media and politics.

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The report concludes Chinese influence efforts can operate in legal grey zones, relying less on overt coercion than on economic incentives, institutional dependence and long-term relationships. Universities, municipalities and media outlets can all become vulnerable to these forms of influence, it says.

Democracies must avoid paranoia and indiscriminate suspicion toward diaspora communities, Matthews said in an interview with Canadian Affairs. But they must also be alert to the fact that Beijing’s threats are real and systemic.

“We should stop pretending that it’s harmful or hateful to call out a government when it’s interfering in our democracy,” he said.

The report comes amid heightened scrutiny of foreign interference in Canada following repeated warnings from Canada’s security establishment that China poses a national security challenge.

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The Montreal institute’s report describes Canada as a particularly “permissive environment” for foreign interference among G7 countries.

Canada’s history of multiculturalism, decentralized political system, and large Chinese diaspora population have created conditions that can be exploited by foreign actors, the report says. Canada’s Chinese population reached roughly 1.7 million people in 2021, with nearly half born in China.

Successive governments have been slow to respond partly out of fear that criticism of Beijing would be interpreted as hostility toward Chinese Canadians, says Matthews.

“Was it multiculturalism? Was it a fear of politicians that [countering interference] would be framed as being racist towards Chinese people rather than calling out the Chinese government?” he said in the interview. “That could be it.”

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But many of the strongest advocates for tougher action are from diaspora communities targeted by transnational repression campaigns, Matthews notes.

The report also highlights concerns surrounding universities and research partnerships.

According to the report, Canada’s strengths in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology have made Canadian institutions attractive targets for efforts to acquire sensitive research, intellectual property and advanced technologies.

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The report argues that no single democracy can effectively counter foreign interference alone. It calls for a coordinated, G7-wide strategy that focuses on intelligence sharing, research security, cyber capabilities, and strong transparency rules.

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Matthews says Canada should resist the temptation to see China as a simple alternative to an unreliable southern neighbour.

“Yes, we’re trying to set ourselves as a country dealing with a more transactional United States under President Trump, but China is not necessarily the answer,” he said.

“There are a whole set of risks” when dealing with China, said Matthews. “And I would say the risks are far larger than the rewards.”

Microsoft just dropped a bombshell at Computex 2026 by unveiling the most powerful device ever to bear the Surface name. The newly announced Surface Laptop Ultra is a direct answer to Apple and its dominant MacBook Pro lineup. Built in a deep partnership with NVIDIA, the new flagship laptop runs Windows on Arm and completely redefines professional computing.

Ever since the Surface division came into existence, I’ve always wondered why they didn’t go all in and make an ultra-powered device. As the MacBook Pros started gaining rave reviews from YouTubers, I started waiting for Microsoft’s response, and now we finally have it. Surface Laptop Ultra is arriving in stores this fall, 2026.

Surface Laptop Ultra N1X brings 128GB unified memory and a mini-LED display The hardware specifications for the Surface Laptop Ultra are absolutely staggering. The chassis weighs less than 4.5 pounds (~2kg) and houses a prominent dual-fan cooling system designed to prevent aggressive thermal throttling during heavy rendering workloads. Microsoft is offering the sleek device in Platinum and Nightfall color finishes.

Opening the lid reveals a beautiful 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra touchscreen. The panel features a sharp 2880 by 1920 resolution at 262 pixels per inch. The screen hits an incredible 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, easily making it the brightest display Microsoft has ever shipped on any device.

Delaware is home to more corporations than people. Human people, that is, as under longstanding state law and the US Supreme Court’s infamous 2010 ruling, corporations are people, too.

A judge in Delaware—a state with more registered business entities than people—ruled Monday in favor of a small town that allows corporations to vote in local elections.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Craig Karsnitz ruled that the town of Fenwick Island, population 400, did not violate the state Constitution by permitting business entities—which make up 12% of the town’s “population”—to vote in municipal elections, as case plaintiff the ACLU of Delaware had claimed.

“What is a ‘person?’ When one cuts to the heart of this case, that is the question,” Karsnitz wrote to open his 20-page ruling.