From China to India, how deepfakes are reshaping Asian politics

Experts say the rise of deepfake technology may pose a significant threat to democracy in 2024, with major elections happening in India and the US. These manipulated videos, created using artificial intelligence, can deceive viewers by replacing faces or altering voices. Deepfakes are created for humorous or malicious purposes, and their potential impact on elections … Read more

Canada-China relations committee questions witnesses on Winnipeg lab intelligence breach

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland suggested on Monday that there are gaps in the early stages of screening scientists at secret-level facilities such as the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg.  Holland told the House of Commons special committee on Canada-China relations there is a “responsibility of those individuals to disclose their engagements and affiliations.”  He … Read more

Why the Conservatives and NDP are headed for a clash over Canada’s working-class votes

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s path to power may be by prosecuting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s past eight years in government, but his road to victory is painted NDP orange. Appealing to working-class voters in rural and northern ridings — like those held by New Democrats across British Columbia and Liberals in northern Ontario — is … Read more

Math lessons from deepfakes of Drake, other celebrities on TikTok raise concerns about misinformation

Sisters Leanne and Natasha Manikavasagar are no strangers to seeing AI-generated content on TikTok. But an AI-generated deepfake video of Drake teaching trigonometry took them by surprise. “I was shocked,” said Natasha, a Grade 9 student in Brampton Ont.  “Drake looked kind of weird, like his mouth did not match … the way he was … Read more

TikTok, Snapchat respond as Ontario school boards sue social media giants

Four major Ontario school boards are taking some of the largest social media companies to court over their products, alleging the way they’re designed has negatively rewired the way children think, behave and learn and disrupted the way schools operate. The public district school boards of Toronto, Peel and Ottawa-Carleton, along with Toronto’s Catholic counterpart, are looking for … Read more

Britain’s Conservatives go full Trump in London – POLITICO

With the party staring down the barrel of defeat in the general election due later this year, could the Tories be stealing from the Trump playbook to turn their dismal poll ratings around? Featuring heavy overtones of a Batman movie, the video posted to X (formally Twitter) is composed of clips shot in moody black … Read more

Anti-authority narratives could tear ‘fabric of society,’ intelligence report warns

Threats against politicians have become “increasingly normalized” due to extremist narratives prompted by personal grievances and fuelled by misinformation or deliberate lies, warns a newly released intelligence report. The report, prepared by a federal task force that aims to safeguard elections, says the Canadian violent extremist landscape has seen the proliferation of conspiracy theories, a … Read more

Hidden cameras capture bank employees misleading customers, pushing products that help sales targets

Michelle Jeraline says she’s so stressed out by the pressure to sell customers products at TD Bank, it’s affected her health.  The TD employee says she’s usually not acting in the best interest of her clients — she’s trying to sell them products that will help her meet sales targets and keep her from being … Read more

What is the Potential Risk of Misinformation and Manipulation in Such a Historic Global Election Year?

Approximately four billion people, representing nearly half of the world’s population across 50 countries, are headed to the polls this year, with the outcome of these elections in countries such as the United States, India and the United Kingdom having a significant impact on the role of advanced technology, including artificial intelligence. The wider accessibility … Read more

Brussels warns of water conflict danger in EU – POLITICO

“These risks can manifest in multiple forms, some of which include … increased competition over water resources across sectors and uses, including potential risk of conflicts within and among the Member States over transboundary water resources,” the draft states. Some regions are already bickering over supplies. In Spain, drought-stricken Catalonia is trying to persuade the … Read more