Student loan data of 583,000 Canadians left unsecured, report finds
A report from the interim privacy commissioner Chantal Bernier has found that a lost hard drive containing the names, social security numbers, and personal information of over 583,000 Canadians who took out student loans from 2000 to 2006 was left unencrypted and without password protection.
This revelation has come out of an investigation launched January, 2013, when Human Resources and Skills Development Canada reported the hard drive to have been missing for two months; an HRSDC employee first discovered that the drive was missing on Nov. 5, 2012. According to Bernier’s findings, the hard drive was kept in an often unlocked filing cabinet in an open cubicle.
Currently, there are three pending lawsuits against the federal government over the breach, despite authorities’ claims that the information was not used for fraudulent purposes.
With files from The Ubyssey
U of T students question validity of student union elections
Some U of T students are questioning the results of the recent University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU) elections. Issue has been taken with the use of ballots that included a withdrawn candidate’s name, the addition of an extra voting day at University of Toronto Mississauga, and an additional polling station at the Davis Building at UTM.
One slate, Team Unite, complained that they had not been informed about the extra polling station added at the Davis Building on the extra day of voting. The opposing slate, U of T Voice, was apparently aware of the addition and encouraged voters via Facebook to head to the polling station. According to a source who prefers to remain anonymous, Voice received more than 90 per cent of votes made at the Davis polling station.
Votes have been recounted six times since the elections. Some members of Team Unite are demanding that UTSU either discount any votes gathered at UTM on March 14, or annul the results of the election and order a new election.
With files from The Varsity
U of M students draw attention to homelessness
Four University of Manitoba Asper school of business students camped outside campus for five days participating in the Canada-wide Five Days for the Homeless (5DH) campaign.
The four campers were joined by many other students who collected donations around campus for Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY), a local non-profit organization. A former beneficiary of RaY’s services visited the U of M on the last night of the campaign to share his own experiences with homelessness.
While the campaign has received much support, some students questioned whether a five day simulation is really an accurate reflection of the plight of homeless youth. Sam Davidson, one of the campers, replied, “This isn’t really to simulate homelessness. It’s to create attention.”
With files from The Manitoban
International brief: Course offered on the sociology of Miley Cyrus
This summer, students at Skidmore College in New York may actually be able to use the word twerk in their papers.
Taught by visiting assistant professor Carolyn Chernoff, the course will examine “The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender and Media.” Chernoff says she’ll focus on the 21-year old performer and all her incarnations as a lens through which to examine gender, race, class, fame and power.
The course will examine topics such as the rise of the Disney Princess, gender stratification and the hyper-commodification of childhood, and what happens to Disney stars as they age.
With files from CBC
