New Peril

An exploration of the intersection of politics, technology and privacy

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New Peril

  • A Letter of Hope and Encouragement from an Atheist to the Warriors of Christ

    I realize this is a departure from my usual fare, so perhaps I should start with a personal note just to give the reader some context. I have been stricken with intractable insomnia. No matter what remedy I try, chamomile tea, warm milk, melatonin, vigorous exercise, etc I am rarely able to sleep for more…

  • VPN Services and Privacy: A Common Sense Discussion

    Because of the way we, as a society, have decided to fund the Internet – through advertising revenue – the goal of all online interactions, from the point of view of the service provider, has become to gather as much data as possible about you – the consumer – in order to influence what you…

  • Canadian Electronic Communications, the NSA and Metadata

    The Background The United States National Security Agency (NSA) logs the metadata of all electronic communications that pass through US networks. This program is well known and acknowledged by the NSA. Given the general design of network routing and the anemic state of Canada’s IT infrastructure, this dragnet captures a vast swath of Canadian communications.…

  • The Republic of Alberta and the F-35 Purchase: Let’s Ask AI

     In my recent post, The Alberta Prosperity Project, NATO and the Cost of Defence, I used the purchase of 12 F-35s as an example of the costs involved in building military capability. The price I cited, and the process I described were, of course, gross oversimplifications of defence procurement. I thought I would institute a new…

  • The Alberta Prosperity Project, NATO and the Cost of Defense

    The Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) describes itself as an Alberta “educational initiative.” Its stated purpose? Holding a referendum on Alberta independence with the goal of removing the province from confederation and establishing a new, sovereign state. The APP recently released its draft fiscal plan for the project: The Value of Freedom: A Draft Fully Costed…