Online scams are getting smarter, more convincing, and harder to spot.

I break down some of the most common scams I see in practice — including fake tech-support calls, business email compromise, grandparent scams, fraudulent payment requests, ransomware, crypto scams, and AI-assisted impersonation.

I explain the warning signs that show up again and again: urgency, secrecy, unexpected payment requests, spoofed identities, and pressure to act before you have time to think.

I also share practical steps you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your organization — from multi-factor authentication and stronger password practices to independently verifying suspicious requests through a trusted channel.

Scammers keep changing their tactics. Learning to recognize the patterns is one of the best ways to stay ahead of them.

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, would prevent people under 16 from having accounts on designated social media services unless the service obtains an exemption from the Digital Safety Commission. In this episode, I explain why I think that restriction violates the freedom of expression guarantee in section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — and why it is unlikely to survive the section 1 Oakes test.

Protecting young people from genuine social-media harms is undoubtedly an important objective. But constitutional rights require governments to pursue those objectives proportionately. Bill C-34’s account ban treats all young people alike and restricts access to an important forum for political, artistic, educational and social expression even though less restrictive alternatives — including safer design, parental controls and targeted restrictions on harmful features — are available.

I also look at the French Constitutional Council’s August 2026 decision striking down France’s similar social-media restriction for minors. While French constitutional law does not determine the Canadian question, the Council’s reasoning — that a broad prohibition was not sufficiently tailored to the actual risks posed by particular services or the circumstances of particular young people — closely resembles the analysis a Canadian court could undertake under the Charter’s minimal-impairment requirement.

Cases discussed:

► R. v. Oakes, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 103 — the foundation of the section 1 proportionality test. https://canlii.ca/t/1ftv6

► Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Quebec (Attorney General), [1989] 1 S.C.R. 927 — freedom of expression and Quebec’s prohibition on advertising directed at children. https://canlii.ca/t/1ft6g

► RJR-MacDonald Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), [1995] 3 S.C.R. 199 — freedom of expression, broad prohibitions and minimal impairment. https://canlii.ca/t/1frgz

► Carter v. Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 5 — including the Court’s consideration of whether a blanket prohibition was broader than necessary to achieve the government’s protective objective. https://canlii.ca/t/gg5z4

► France Constitutional Council Decision No. 2026-911 DC of August 14, 2026 - Finding that France's social media ban for young people was unconstitutional https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2026/2026911DC.htm (in French)

Where you can find me:

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

Parliament returns from its summer break on September 21, 2026, with three major pieces of legislation on the agenda that could reshape Canadian privacy and digital policy.

In this episode, I look ahead to the fall sitting and provide an overview of Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act; Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act; and Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, 2026.

Bill C-34 would create a new online-safety regime governing social media platforms, AI chatbots and other online services, including controversial age restrictions and age-assurance requirements. Bill C-36 would replace the privacy provisions of PIPEDA with an entirely new private-sector privacy framework, stronger enforcement powers and a new regulatory structure. And Bill C-22, which has already passed the House of Commons and is moving to the Senate, would expand lawful-access powers and create new requirements for electronic service providers to facilitate government access to data.

I discuss why these three bills matter, the major privacy, cybersecurity and freedom-of-expression issues they raise, and what to watch as Parliament gets back to work this fall.

Here are previous episodes about these Bills:

Canada's proposed new privacy law: Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act

https://youtu.be/2BaatCD74pI

Online Harms is Back: About Bill C-34 The Safe Social Media Act https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E08XVXwojMw

The Deeply Problematic Part 2 of Bill C-22: The Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh51IJSAwp0

Lawful Access is Back: All about Bill C-22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZFbTYttuN8&

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

Canada's federal private-sector privacy law may be about to undergo its biggest transformation in more than 25 years.

Bill C-36 would repeal the privacy provisions of PIPEDA and replace them with the new Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (PPCDA). The bill introduces mandatory privacy management programs, enhanced consent requirements, new rights to dispose of personal information, privacy impact assessments for cross-border data transfers, significant administrative monetary penalties, and an entirely new enforcement model that replaces the current role of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

This episode explains the key provisions of Bill C-36, compares it with the earlier Bills C-11 and C-27, and discusses what these proposed changes could mean for Canadian businesses, privacy professionals, and individuals.

Follow the progress of the Bill here: https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/45-1/C-36

Read Professor Michael Geist's commentary here: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/canadas-digital-super-regulator-bill-c-36-pushes-out-the-privacy-commissioner-and-hands-private-sector-privacy-to-an-overloaded-commission/

Read Professor Teresa Scassa's commentary here: https://teresascassa.substack.com/p/canadas-new-privacy-reform-bill-bill

#Privacy #PIPEDA #BillC36 #CanadianPrivacyLaw #DataProtection #PrivacyLaw #Canada #PPCDA #DigitalPrivacy #LegalUpdate #privacylawyer

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

A breakdown of Canada's newly introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act. Reintroduced as an update to the controversial and stalled Bill C-63 (the Online Harms Act), Bill C-34 expands the government's regulatory scope to include not only traditional social media platforms but also AI-driven chatbots and other interactive online services. This overview covers the bill’s major changes—including new under-16 account restrictions, mandatory age-verification for all, explicit labeling of synthetic AI content, and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada.

I refer to Michael Geist's blog post, which you can find here: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/the-law-to-be-named-later-bill-c-34-punts-50-key-decisions-to-cabinet-and-a-digital-safety-commission-that-does-not-yet-exist/

Follow the progress of this bill and read the latest version here: https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/45-1/C-34

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

An Overview of Part 2 of Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act 2026. Part 2 creates the "Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act", which will require electronic service providers to create new capabilities for law enforcement and national security folks to get access to customer information.

#lawfulaccess #surveillance #privacy #charterofrights

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

A deep dive into the "Production Order for Subscriber Information" proposed in Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act. What is it? What does it do? What is different from the original proposal in Bill C-2 (the Strong Borders Act)? And what's the likely fatal flaw that will mean it will be found to be unconstitutional?

My "Lawful Access" playlist, including episodes from this channel and other commentators: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV759uJFOchhpCq8rakXDYdwJP3xYSrtf

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

Lawful Access playlist, including my videos and from others on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV759uJFOchhpCq8rakXDYdwJP3xYSrtf

My Bill C-22 Lawful Access "deep dive" episode: https://youtu.be/tZFbTYttuN8?list=PLV759uJFOchhpCq8rakXDYdwJP3xYSrtf

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

On March 12, 2026, the Canadian Public Safety Minister tabled Bill C-22 in Parliament: the Lawful Access Act, 2026, which will create new police information demands and require "electronic service providers" to create new capabilities for the interception and retrieval of data for the police and national security authorities. Part 1 is much improved since it was first introduced as Part 14 of the "Strong Borders Act." Part 2, however, is deeply problematic as it has the potential to create a expansive surveillance infrastructure -- mostly in the shadows -- beyond what I think Canadians can tolerate.

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.

An overview of privacy law that regulates private sector businesses in Canada (or those outside of the country who deal with personal information of Canadians): the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

0:00 Beginning

0:57 Introduction

2:23 Why Canada has a mess of privacy laws

5:43 The Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the protection of personal information

6:40 How was the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) developed?

8:11 Key concepts - "commercial activity"

9:02 Key concepts - "personal information"

10:53 PIPEDA's baseline "reasonableness" requirement at s. 5(3)

12:16 Principle 1 - Accountability

16:09 Principle 2 - Identifying purposes

16:47 Principle 3 - Consent

20:13 Principle 4 - Limiting collection

20:58 Principle 5 - Limiting use, disclosure and retention

22:08 Principle 6 - Accuracy

22:47 Principle 7 - Safeguards

24:23 Principle 8 - Openness

25:49 Principle 9 - Individual access

26:58 Principle 10 - Challenging compliance

27:40 Enforcement under PIPEDA

31:22 Court applications under PIPEDA

34:16 Data breach notification

37:38 Real risk of significant harm (RROSH) analysis

40:25 Data breach record-keeping requirements

41:36 Wrap-up

Where you can find me

► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca

► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraser

Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel.

All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.