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Reposted by Technologists for Democracy

Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 23h

We're going public today with a powerful new tool for researching, following and reporting on local governments across Canada.

It’s dragging cities and towns into the 21st century by making 550 municipalities’ public meetings easy to search, all in one place, for the first time.

Canada’s National Observer unveils a powerful tool for fighting disinformation

Civic Searchlight brings together municipal meeting transcripts from across Canada into a searchable database for the first time. It has already been used to fight disinformation, report on impact, di...

www.nationalobserver.com

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks to our volunteers who helped bring about awareness of the issues around this pilot! Innovation does not have to come at the cost of personal privacy and surveillance.

Unofficial TorontoStar (All News) @torontostar-rss.bsky.social · 7d

‘You never know why companies do things’: Magna ends its driverless vehicle test early in Toronto — leaving behind a mystery

Magna International ended its pilot program three months earlier than planned, puzzling local councillors.

www.thestar.com

Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · 13d

PRESS RELEASE:
Speed Cameras are an Effective Technology for Public Safety

Read here:
techfordemocracy.ca/2025/09/25/s...

Speed Cameras are an Effective Technology for Public Safety

TfD’s press release on automated speed cameras in response to Ontario’s decision to ban them.

techfordemocracy.ca

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joyelhidber.bsky.social @joyelhidber.bsky.social · 20d

🇨🇦’s Cybersecurity bill is back! Bill C-8 is Bill C-26’s twin. 👯‍♀️ Huge encryption risks, same secret orders. 🚨 Don’t let #BillC8 fast track through Parliament. Speak up and tell your MP to #FixBillC8 now! 📣 openmedia.org/FixBillC8-bsky
@openmediaorg.bsky.social

Fix Bill C-8: Stop the Fast-Track of a Flawed Cybersecurity Bill

Huge encryption risks, same secret orders. 🚨 Don’t let it fast track through Parliament. Speak up and tell your MP to #FixBillC8 now! 📣 https://openmedia.org/FixBillC8

openmedia.org

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · 19d

We'll be drawing the line along with Canadians across the country tomorrow, September 20th, to protest against growing wealth inequality and exploitation.

Join us in Toronto at Yonge & Dundas at 2pm!
drawtheline.world/canada

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · Sep 8

We had a great time at the panel last week and learned a lot!

#toronto #tech #politics
@luisasotomayor.bsky.social @vassb.bsky.social @ghadaa.bsky.social @paulafletcherto.bsky.social

Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · Sep 5

Thanks to all who came out and joined us last night.

Special thanks to Luke Yates visiting us during his NA tour, Ghada Alsharif for moderating the panel discussion and Luisa Sotomayor for hosting us at the University of Toronto, and, of course, all the panelists.

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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · Sep 4

"The unsettling feeling that your device is spying on you is real — but the culprit isn't a secret microphone. It's the data broker industry," EFF’s @evacide.bsky.social tells @CNET.com. www.cnet.com/tech/servic...

No, Your iPhone Isn't Listening to You. Here's What's Really Happening

There are lots of reasons an ad pops up on your phone, but none involve a microphone listening.

www.cnet.com

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 27

Read about the privacy concerns we've raised with a local self-driving pilot happening in Toronto!

Full text at: techfordemocracy.ca/2025/08/25/a...

#privacy #surveillance #toronto

Self-driving delivery vehicles spark privacy concerns - Annex Gleaner, Volume 31, Number 3, August 2025

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 26

We hosted a session at #CivicSpark last weekend and had a great time!

#CivicTech #Toronto
@civictechto.bsky.social @khasir.bsky.social

Group shot of attendees and volunteers at the end of Civic Spark 2025!

Khasir Hean hosts the Technologists for Democracy unconference session.

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Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · Aug 14

My @thestar.com column this week: Civic Tech in Toronto turns ten!

A look at some of the people getting together each week to hack away at our problems via @civictechto.bsky.social — and what City Hall could be doing to support their work.

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Matt Elliott: Yes, tech can be a force for good. Meet the people hacking Toronto for the better

The volunteers who created the Civic Dashboard and BikeSpace apps this weekend mark their 10th anniversary of brainstorming and tech development with a two-day event called Civic Spark.

www.thestar.com

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 14

Join us in #Toronto on Sunday where we'll be running a session!

Civic Tech Toronto @civictechto.bsky.social · Jul 26

Civic Spark is built by us — the civic tech community.

Join us Aug 16–17 for a volunteer-led gathering shaping the future of public life.

Full story → civictech.ca/announcements/civic-spark
Tickets → civic-spark.com

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Sharpie Stuff @sharpiestuff.bsky.social · Aug 3

It was only a matter of time, but Canada has joined the censorship bandwagon with Bill S-209.

Sign the petition, call your MPs, raise hell.

www.change.org/p/stop-bill-...

Sign the Petition

Stop Bill S-209’s De-Anonymization of Every Canadian Adult

www.change.org

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Technologists for Democracy @techfordemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 6

Hello world!