Vic Toews is the controversial Canadian Minister of Public Safety whose spying bill will require ISPs to log and retain an enormous amount of your online activity, and then make that available to police without a warrant. Yesterday, Toews drew criticism when he said that opponents of his bill "stand with child pornographers." Today an anonymous party has created a Vikileaks Twitter account that is publishing embarrassing personal details culled from affidavits filed in Mr Toews's divorce, saying, "Vic wants to know about you. Let's get to know about Vic." It's not clear to me whether these affidavits were under seal, or part of the public record (they seem to come from this case: FEHR, LORRAINE K. vs TOEWS, VICTOR E. (FD08-01-86932) Mantioba Queen's Court of Queens Bench). This is an awfully ugly tactic and will likely be counterproductive. It does demonstrate that once material is stored, it is likely to leak, and that the best way to protect private information is to refrain from gathering and aggregating it in the first place. Update: looks like publishing court records is kosher in Manitoba.
Involuntary transparency for Canada's spying-bill MP
Oh My, Roger! Trump crony Roger Stone served lawsuit live on air
Roger Stone, the political consultant and convicted felon pardoned by Donald Trump before serving a day of his 40-month jail term, has more legal trouble to deal with. He was served a civil lawsuit, regarding his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill, while being interviewed live on air. We never got to… READ THE REST
GOP justice Amy Coney Barrett worried people see Supreme Court as partisan
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, long-groomed for the role by conservative groups, picked by Donald Trump, then rammed into the chair by the GOP House Leader in the final days of Trump's administration, said in a lecture Sunday that she is concerned that the public may increasingly see the court as a partisan institution.… READ THE REST
Woman filmed intentionally coughing on shoppers loses her job
The victim chose not to file a complaint, meaning the belligerent woman smirking and coughing at her (previously at BB) in a Nebraska grocery store hasn't gotten in any legal trouble. But video virality has other consequences, and it turns out the cougher has lost her job. "We have reviewed the incident and can confirm… READ THE REST
Bright Cellars is making wine selection a lot easier – and a lot tastier
There's a reason why the movie Sideways was such a hit with audiences. Sure, it had a great cast and a fun script, but part of its success was baked into its premise. It was a comedy about people who took wine way too seriously. That's an idea that practically writes itself. You know all… READ THE REST
This ultra-compact, totally wireless portable charger is only $24
Nothing is worse than having your devices die when you're out and about. Sure, standard portable power banks will do the trick, but most are too bulky to carry around in your pockets. Plus, then you have to worry about the long charge times for those power banks have, not to mention the hassle of… READ THE REST
Never miss a single detail with a digital microscope like this on your hands
No matter how good your vision may be, the naked eye sure misses a lot. Like if you ever look up close at a Van Gogh painting — all those brush strokes and swirls are the magic behind any of the artist's masterpieces. And the same goes with other things in life, whether it be… READ THE REST
