Best Michael Geist Podcasts (2025)

1
Commentary: Bill C-4 w/ Michael Geist 38:04

15h ago38:04

38:04

In this Commentary, we discuss Bill C-4, titled An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure. That “other measure” is a series of amendments to the Canada Election Act creating serious impacts on people and their personal information. FIPA is conducting its first joint podcast with Michael Geist and The Law Byt…

1
Commentary: Bill C-2 w/ Robert Diab 28:16

15h ago28:16

28:16

Canada’s federal C-2 Strong Borders Act is a sweeping and controversial bill that is currently moving through Parliament. The bill includes ‘lawful access’ provisions, unrelated to borders, that expand state powers to access personal information held by electronic service providers. This is not the first time that lawful access powers have been pro…

1
Episode 236: Robert Diab on the Return of Lawful Access 39:49

6d ago39:49

39:49

Lawful access is back. Bill C-2, the government’s border bill, includes a new information demand power that would result in warrantless disclosure of information about a subscriber, a new international production order, and requirements for providers to assist law enforcement in working with their networks. There will no doubt be multiple podcast e…

1
News Summary June 14th, 2025 30:07

8d ago30:07

30:07

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, June 14th. We’ve got stories from across the country shaped by access to information—from national defense funding to local integrity issues, wildfire preparedness, and controversial provincial actions. We’ll follow that with a scan of cybersecurity incidents, data breaches, and surveillanc…

1
Episode 235: Teresa Scassa on the Alberta Clearview AI Ruling That Could Have a Big Impact on Privacy and Generative AI 31:00

13d ago31:00

31:00

The privacy concerns with Clearview AI sparked investigations and court cases around the world. The issues date back many years, but recently an Alberta court weighed in on the application of provincial privacy law in a decision that has big implications not only for that company but for the intersection between privacy and generative AI.To help un…

1
Brief Update: Bill C-4 and FIPA's Upcoming AGM 1:15

15d ago1:15

1:15

We've had a busy week with lots going on, and we plan to be back with our regular show next week. We will certainly be covering Bill C-4 and its impact on Canadian Privacy and political parties. Given FIPA’S intervenor status with Liberal Party of Canada v. The Complainants, we will be watching closely and reporting on that in the coming weeks. Lea…

1
Episode 234: “Solutions Aren’t Going to be Found Through Nostalgia”: Mark Musselman on the CRTC Hearings on Canadian Content Rules 36:13

20d ago36:13

36:13

The CRTC recently wrapped up a two-week hearing on the Online Streaming Act that featured most of the usual suspects, though notably not the large streaming services. The Commission grappled with foundational issues such as modernizing the definition of Canadian content, instituting IP requirements, and introducing new discoverability rules into Ca…

1
News Summary May 31st, 2025 13:57

22d ago13:57

13:57

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 31st. Nova Scotia is back in the privacy and cybersecurity spotlight as a sophisticated ransomware attack triggers a probe and fallout from Nova Scotia Power’s data breach. We have our regular summaries of privacy, access to information, and whistleblower stories from Canada and across …

1
Commentary: Alberta Troubles 32:31

25d ago32:31

32:31

There’s trouble in Alberta's access and privacy landscape. Recent investigations found the Alberta government is not complying with freedom of information laws, with the Information and Privacy Commissioner confirming significant non-compliance in processing access requests. Additionally, a court ruled portions of Alberta's Personal Information Pro…

1
Episode 233: Abdi Aidid on AI, the Law and the Future of Legal Practice 53:25

27d ago53:25

53:25

The discussion on the intersection between AI and the law, especially with respect to legal services continues to grow. From lawyers that mistakenly rely on AI generated cases to AI support for due diligence and comment review, the role of AI within legal practice has emerged as a critical issue. Professor Abdi Aidid is a law professor at the Unive…

1
News Summary May 24th, 2025 18:36

29d ago18:36

18:36

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 24th. Off the top, an American hacker pleads guilty in the PowerSchool data breach, while a controversial Trump-backed snitch line raises alarms as it can collect information on Canadians. We also cover significant data breaches and cyber incidents affecting global companies, including …

1
Commentary: Privacy Matters 17:16

1M ago17:16

17:16

FIPA President Mike Larsen recently delivered a lecture focusing on Surveillance & Privacy. It’s something we thought our regular listeners would be interested in, and we’ve recorded a version for this week's commentary. Let's take a look at 'why Privacy matters, and why it matters right now'. Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. Send …

1
News Summary May 17th, 2025 14:03

1M ago14:03

14:03

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 17th. Off the top we’ll look at the latest wave of impacts on privacy and access coming from legislative changes in Alberta, with the Government at odds with the courts and independent offices. We have a cluster of stories in BC spanning privacy and access to information, in addition to…

1
News Summary May 10th, 2025 13:43

1M ago13:43

13:43

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 10th. With major national and international events, from the new pope to the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe, grabbing the spotlight, there are still plenty of other stories to highlight. We’ll start with stories from Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative and the continued fallout …

1
Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 25:11

2M ago25:11

25:11

Digital policy did not play a major role in the recent federal election, but the new Mark Carney Liberal government is quickly going to face a wide range of digital-related policy questions. This week’s Law Bytes podcast examines the short, medium and longer term issues including the future of the digital services tax, Canadian digital sovereignty,…

1
News Summary May 3rd, 2025 14:36

2M ago14:36

14:36

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, May 3rd. Our condolences go out to everyone in the Filipino community and Vancouver affected by the tragic events of April 26th. Off the top, the dust is still settling on the federal election, and we see the first of the Code of Silence Awards being handed out. We’ll look at important stor…

1
Commentary: Canadian Federal Election 44:16

2M ago44:16

44:16

Election Day is Monday, April 28th! Be sure to listen in as FIPA President Mike Larsen, Executive Director Jason Woywada, and Legal Researcher Spencer Izen sit down with me to discuss Canada's Federal Election and FIPA’s surveys questionnaires and guides. Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. Send comments to [email protected] Acces…

1
News Summary April 26th, 2025 21:07

2M ago21:07

21:07

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, April 26th. It’s Election day on Monday, April 28th! We’ll start with the historic fines and action being taken against Meta and Apple in the European Union for privacy violations. We’ll shift to the privacy and access to information stories from across Canada, including great reminders abo…

1
Brief Update: Easter Break and Upcoming Coverage 0:41

2M ago0:41

0:41

The team here at Access and Privacy Online are taking the Easter Weekend off, and we hope you all have the opportunity to do the same. We’ll be back next week with more coverage of the headlines and commentary. In particular, in the coming week, we’ll be sharing a recent lecture from FIPA President Mike Larson, where he expounds on 'why Privacy mat…

1
News Summary April 12th, 2025 16:58

2M ago16:58

16:58

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, April 12th. We are entering week four of the federal election here in Canada. We’ll start with a few national stories before diving into the local journalism reports informed by and intersecting access to information privacy and information management across Canada. We have a couple of non-…

1
Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 30:44

3M ago30:44

30:44

As the 2025 federal election passes the midway point, it is increasingly apparent that the federal political parties are not only battling for votes, but also for data. Canadians may not see it but political parties are data machines anxious to collect and use as much data about potential supporters as possible. Sara Bannerman is the Canada Researc…

1
News Summary April 5th, 2025 19:35

3M ago19:35

19:35

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, April 5th, and we are entering week three of the federal election here in Canada. On the radar this week: Police record-keeping and the growing role of AI both inside and outside the courtroom. Two scandals involving taxpayer dollars and questions of political accountability. Updates on env…

1
Commentary: BC Information Commissioner Michael Harvey 40:06

3M ago40:06

40:06

FIPA was recently at the 27th Annual Victoria International Privacy & Security Summit. It was a great event with hundreds of cybersecurity and privacy professionals from around the globe addressing the topics facing the use and protection of your personal information. We were grateful and privileged to have an opportunity to have BC Information Com…

1
Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 38:30

3M ago38:30

38:30

The 2025 federal election is now in its second week and the battle for attention and ultimately votes is taking place both online and offline. The enormous influence of online sites such as Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and a handful of others raises real issues about how information spreads, its reliability, and risks of misinformation and disinformat…

1
News Summary March 29th, 2025 22:11

3M ago22:11

22:11

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, March 29. In this week’s cast, we see Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston moving to turn the page on Bill 1 legislative changes. We also have our weekly scan of stories from the Canadian Press that intersect with access to information, privacy, and information management across Canada, the…

1
Commentary: Elections and Democratic Monitoring 32:13

3M ago32:13

32:13

The Canadian federal election is underway. In this week's commentary, join Patrick Farnsworth along with FIPA President Mike Larsen and Executive Director Jason Woywada with this week's special guest Duff Conacher, Executive Director of Democracy Watch. They’re all here to discuss the recent Ontario election and consider various tools from the non-…

1
Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote - Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 28:26

3M ago28:26

28:26

With a federal election just called and the campaign now underway, the focus will turn - at least in very small part - to party policies. It is certainly possible that digital issues such as AI regulation, online harms, and the fate of Internet laws will merit a mention. I’m hoping to cover those issues in the weeks ahead, but this week, I offer on…

1
News Summary March 22nd, 2025 20:26

3M ago20:26

20:26

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, March 22. We have multiple stories that put Premier Tim Houston and Nova Scotia back in the spotlight for aggressive legislation, plus a roundup of local stories across Canada intersecting with access to information, privacy, and information management. There’s still plenty of chaos co…

1
News Summary March 15th, 2025 19:26

3M ago19:26

19:26

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, March 8. This week, while Canadian privacy and access issues remain at the forefront of our consideration, much of the attention is directed to the elephant south of the border. We do have a few Canadian stories, with a lot of US coverage, including AI-powered child monitoring battles,…

1
Episode 228: Kumanan Wilson on Why Canadian Health Data Requires Stronger Privacy Protection in the Trump Era 26:39

3M ago26:39

26:39

The craziness of the Trump administration relationship with Canada was on full display this past week as seemingly every day involved some form of policy change on tariffs – first on, then slightly delayed for some goods, then slightly delayed for more goods and by week’s end threats of new tariffs. Given the uncertainty, I recently co-wrote an op-…

1
News Summary March 8th, 2025 14:55

4M ago14:55

14:55

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, March 8. We lead with Nova Scotia, where troubling developments that threatened transparency and independent oversight continue to see the province receive greater scrutiny Across Canada, we’ve got a packed update from the Local Journalism Initiative, covering key regional privacy and …

1
Episode 227: Tara Henley on How to Save the CBC 32:49

4M ago32:49

32:49

Debates over the role and future of the CBC are seemingly about as old as the CBC itself. Those debates have become increasingly fractious in recent years as some see the public broadcaster as essential to Canadian culture and to address concerns about misinformation, while other insist it is hopelessly biased, outdated, and a threat to marketplace…

1
News Summary March 1st, 2025 18:22

4M ago18:22

18:22

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, March 1st. We start with the ongoing controversy in Nova Scotia, where a government bill is raising alarms over transparency and independent oversight. We’ll also break down the Ontario election results, including responses from political parties to FIPA’s election questionnaire. Acros…

1
Commentary: Secret Messaging and Public Accountability 21:11

4M ago21:11

21:11

In this week's commentary, we have a difficult but necessary conversation: a BC police force is going to court over secret chat groups, following a precedent set by the BC NDP to exempt private communications from elected officials under Freedom of Information laws. Join Patrick Farnsworth along with FIPA President Mike Larsen, as we discuss the im…

1
News Summary February 22nd, 2025 22:25

4M ago22:25

22:25

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, February 22nd. We lead with a troubling attack against government transparency and independent oversight in Nova Scotia. We have a lot of coverage from the Local Journalism Initiative and news outlets across Canada, exploring stories where privacy and access to information shape import…

1
Commentary: BC Municipal Disclosure of Records Report 43:55

4M ago43:55

43:55

In this week's commentary, we take a deeper dive into the Municipal disclosure of records investigative report from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC. Join me along with FIPA President Mike Larsen, and Executive Director Jason Woywada as we discuss the report's implications with BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner …

1
News Summary February 15th , 2025 16:47

4M ago16:47

16:47

Coming up in your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, February 15th. This week, we continue coverage of the PowerSchool Data Breach and its impact across Canada. But that's not all—other major stories in privacy and information management are making waves across the country and globally. From government restrictions on AI chatbots to Cana…

1
Commentary: Foreign Impacts on Data Sovereignty 1:01:06

4M ago1:01:06

1:01:06

In this week's commentary, foreign chaos is disrupting cybersecurity, privacy, and access to information. In this discussion, Jim Love from TechNewsday.ca, Professor Emeritus Colin Bennett from the University of Victoria, FIPA President Mike Larsen, and FIPA Executive Director Jason Woywada joined me to examine how global instability is challenging…

1
Episode 226: Richard Gold on Why Canada Should Target U.S. Patents To Help Counter Tariff Trade Pressure 25:43

4M ago25:43

25:43

The trade battle between Canada and the U.S. took a brief break last week as hours before the Trump tariffs were scheduled to take effect, President Trump agreed to a 30 day delay in return for various border measures. That brought a sigh of relief but no real sense that the issue is over. Indeed, quite the opposite – as future battles over tariffs…

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