Access and Privacy Online

News Summary May 2nd, 2026


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This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 2nd. 

This week, we begin with a developing voter privacy story out of Alberta. 

Elections Alberta says there was no breach of its own systems—but that a copy of the provincial List of Electors, provided to a legitimate political recipient, may have been used or distributed inappropriately.  

A court injunction has now ordered the Centurion Project to take down an online database containing voter information and to identify who received or accessed the list. 

It is a sharp reminder that voter data is not just campaign infrastructure. It is sensitive personal information about people’s homes, identities, and participation in democracy. 

We’ll also look at youth privacy and digital citizenship, Manitoba’s proposed social media ban for children, a new health research consent system in Nova Scotia, and Ontario’s sweeping changes to freedom-of-information law. 

And later, we turn to access and whistleblower stories across Canada before closing with U.S. and international developments on voter data, political violence, prediction markets, health-data breaches, and child safety online. 

Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260502-access-and-privacy-online 

Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-18 

FIPA Voter Privacy 

  • House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 
    • Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca  
      • Bill C-4 Backgrounder: https://fipa.bc.ca/bill-c-4-background/ 
        • Donate to Help Us Reach More Canadians: https://fipa.bc.ca/pr/donate-c4/ 
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          Send comments to [email protected] 

          Our Contributors: 

          Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder  

          Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/  

          News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG

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          Access and Privacy OnlineBy Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA)