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Canadians are heavy users of social networks and other communications technologies, but many are not taking basic steps to protect their personal information, a comprehensive survey of 2,000 randomly selected adults has determined. Commissioned by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and published late last week, the survey found that three-quarters (74 percent) of respondents own at least one mobile communications device, such as a cell phone, smart phone or tablet – yet only four in ten use password locks for the devices, or adjust their settings to limit the sharing of personal information that may be stored on the devices.

The 2011 Canadians and Privacy Survey also found that one-third of Canadians use public Wi-Fi sites, such as those located at coffee shops and airports, where online communication may not always be protected by encryption. Of those, fully 85 percent admitted to some concern about possible risks to the security of their personal information.

The poll, conducted in late February and early March by Harris/Decima, also found that just over half (51 percent) of respondents use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. Fortunately, four in five said they take advantage of privacy settings that allow them to control access to their online content. Even so, 45 percent of all respondents who use social networking sites acknowledged that they are concerned about the associated risks to their privacy.

“Canadians are recognizing that their personal information is not safe in this new digital environment, unless they take concrete measures to protect it,” Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart observed. “Unfortunately, however, too few are taking even the most basic precautions, such as setting passwords on their mobile devices.”

“We encourage people to use passwords, encryption, privacy settings and every other available measure to safeguard their personal information, because the meaningful protection of privacy has to start with the individual.”

Indeed, the survey detected widespread concern about the impact of technology on people’s privacy. Four in 10 respondents felt that computers and the Internet pose a risk to their privacy, up from one-quarter (26 percent) in a similar survey just two years ago. Levels of concern about a range of technologies and applications, including cellphones, online banking, and credit and debit card transactions, all rose since 2009.

While younger Canadians aged 18 to 34 are the most enthusiastic users of technology, they are also the most likely to use available mechanisms to protect their privacy.

“This was a gratifying finding,” Commissioner Stoddart said. “Young people are sometimes stereotyped as digital exhibitionists who are quite uninhibited in posting comments and personal images. And yet, this new data shows that they not only care about privacy, they are actually leaders in protecting it.”

Other highlights of the poll include:

• Six in 10 respondents felt that their personal information enjoys weaker protection than it did 10 years ago. Indeed 65 percent said the protection of personal information will be among the most pressing issues confronting Canadians in the decade ahead.
• Canadians are deeply suspicious about the collection and use of personal information by public- and private-sector organizations. Only 22 percent of respondents said governments are taking their obligations to protect privacy seriously, and 14 percent said businesses take their responsibilities seriously.
• An overwhelming majority want tough sanctions against organizations that fail to properly protect the privacy of individuals. More than eight in 10 respondents wanted to see measures such as publicly naming offending organizations, fining them, or taking legal action against them.
• There was widespread concern about businesses that request too much personal information, don’t keep it secure, sell it to other organizations, or use it to send spam or make other unsolicited marketing contact. About nine in 10 respondents found such practices disturbing.
• More than eight in 10 respondents (83 percent) said Internet companies should ask their customers for permission to track their online behaviour and Internet usage.
• With respect to the personal information that Canadians provide at airports and border crossings, a substantial majority (85 percent) said they are somewhat or very concerned when it is shared with foreign authorities.
• More than eight in 10 respondents (82 percent) opposed giving police and intelligence agencies the power to access e-mail records and other Internet usage data without a warrant from the courts.
• There was little appetite for genetic testing to find out whether people have a heightened risk of developing certain diseases. Only one-quarter (26 percent) of respondents said they are somewhat or very interested in such services.
• Only 30 percent of respondents felt they had a good or very good grasp of their privacy rights under the law. Still, three-quarters (74 percent) of respondents felt they are doing a good or very good job of protecting their own privacy. Younger respondents were the least likely to rate their knowledge of privacy rights as very good, or to have confidence in their ability to protect it.

The OPC commissioned the poll in order to gauge public understanding and awareness of privacy, particularly as it is affected by the Office’s four priority issues: information technology, public safety, identity integrity and protection, and genetic technology. Similar surveys were conducted in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

A PDF version of the  complete survey, which has a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percent, 19 times out of 20, is available for download from the Privacy Commissioner’s web site.

London Ontario’s iLookAbout Corp. has confirmed that through an agreement with Pictometry International, the corporation has been contracted to provide StreetScape imagery to Jefferson County, Kentucky which includes the City of Louisville. The contract calls for delivery of static imagery for the County’s CAMA application as well as integration of StreetScape imagery into Pictometry EFS, POL and ESRi for Assessment and other County departments. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

“We are very proud to have been chosen to image Jefferson County. The decision of Mr. Tony Lindauer of the Jefferson County, Property Value Administrator’s Office, to move forward with StreetScape and GeoViewPort™ is affirmation that our work in the area of Desktop Review is taking root,” commented Jeff Young, President and CEO of iLookAbout. “Mr. Lindauer’s decision will allow the PVA to work better, faster and more cost effectively through the use of technology. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the PVA.”

“iLookAbout StreetScape™ and GeoViewPort™ are examples of how the PVA can improve service and productivity to the constituents of Jefferson County, KY. These leading technologies, when coupled with existing tools such as Pictometry On Line, allow our staff to make better informed decisions on a more timely basis,” said Tony Lindauer, Jefferson County PVA. “We have followed the success of iLookAbout over many years and are thrilled to finally have their products in house.”

Other Ocean Interactive’s love letter to both the bygone era of cinematic platformers  such as Prince of Persia, Out of this World and Flashback, and the work of H.G. Wells in The War of the Worlds is nearing release. The studio is celebrating a new milestone with the launch of the game’s official website. On the new site, you will be able find a host of information on the game including screenshots, videos, and other exclusive media that you won’t find anywhere else on the internet.

The War of the Worlds takes a unique spin on the classic science fiction tale, putting players in control of Arthur Clarke, a man trapped in the midst of an alien invasion in 1950’s London. As Arthur, you’ll make your way through the assault by passing through a variety of London landmarks, avoiding alien drones and fighting for your very survival. Featuring the voice of Patrick Stewart as the narrator, The War of the Worlds is an exciting and atmospheric survival-adventure game that you will not want to miss.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUaHg4kUorE]

The War of the Worlds, which will be published by Paramount Digital Entertainment will be available on Xbox LIVE®Arcade and PlayStation®Network as a Digital Download title later this year.

A new iPhone application developed by Gaptel Innovative Solutions called Stoon Ride allows Saskatoon transit bus riders to view all bus routes, stop locations and times for the city of Saskatoon. In order to strive to give users up to date bus route and stop information, this app will from time to time utilize user’s data plan to obtain such info as needed. Although Stoon Ride is not an official product of Saskatoon Transit, the data was obtained from the public domain of the Saskatoon Transit site.

Features of the Stoon Ride iPhone application include:

• view all buses and their schedules
• search by stop number
• search stops by street name
• add your stops and bus routes to favorites
• read up to date information from the city of Saskatoon on City Tweet
• view downtown route map
• instantly report bugs and provide feedback about the app
• information on how to contact Saskatoon transit
• automated data refresh and the ability to manually refresh data for greater accuracy

“Your bus riding experience will never be the same again,” said Soji Oyenuga, CEO of Gaptel Innovative Solutions Inc. Available in the iPhone App Store, Stoon Ride iPhone application gives transit riders the ability to know what bus, which stop and when (time); in the palm of their hands. Similar app for android and blackberry smart phone will be launched soon.

High performance ethernet service assurance provider Accedian Networks™ has announced that Mr. Paul J. Milbury has joined the company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Milbury brings over 30 years of experience exercising financial, operational and governance responsibilities in the technology sector.

“Paul’s vast experience in building successful companies and creating shareholder value will be pivotal to Accedian as the Company prepares for the next phase in its growth,” said George Riedel, Chairman of the Accedian Networks Board of Directors. “He brings an invaluable perspective to the Board with direct involvement in public company control and governance, merger and acquisition strategy/execution, IPO preparation and execution, investor relations and treasury. We’re pleased to welcome Paul to our Board.”

“Accedian is clearly one of the leaders of the 4G/LTE revolution, and a key contributor in making Carrier Ethernet technology suitable for mobile backhaul services,” said Paul Milbury. “Accedian’s high performance service assurance solution ensures the success of service providers around the world who are racing to deliver 4G services over Carrier Ethernet networks. I’m very excited to be in a position to contribute to the Accedian Board as the company makes this journey.”

Over the course of his distinguished career, Paul Milbury has been involved with technology companies ranging from start-up to mid-cap and large cap. In 2010, he left Cisco Systems after assisting with the integration of Starent Networks, a provider of mobile network solutions, into Cisco. Paul was a key member of Starent’s leadership team through the company’s IPO process in 2007 and its sale to Cisco Systems in December 2009 for $2.9 billion. From 2000-2007, he was Chief Financial Officer at Avid Technology, a digital media creation, management and distribution solutions company. He also served as Vice President and Treasurer of Digital Equipment Corp, a $15 billion global technology firm that was acquired by Compaq Computer for $10 billion in 1998. Paul also served as CFO of start-ups iBelong and JuniorNet.

Mr. Milbury is a member of the boards of Infinera Corp, a digital optical networking company and Crossbeam Systems, a network security company.

Scribendi.com has launched an editing and proofreading WordPress Plugin that allows blog posts to be seamlessly edited before users hit the publish button. Blog writers can simply download the plugin and submit their documents to be edited by Scribendi.com’s professional editors in as little as four hours.

“We’re thrilled to be able to launch this plugin, as we’ve always wanted to be able to reach out to bloggers and provide a fast, easy way for them to get their blog posts revised,” said Chandra Clarke, President of Scribendi.com. “The plugin, and the dedicated blog editing and proofreading service, provide a way to do that.”

Chatham, Ontario Scribendi.com has tightly integrated their system into the WordPress dashboard, investing weeks of development and testing into making their services easy to access without leaving the user’s site. The WordPress plugin provides a firm quote in seconds, securely places an order, and even automatically picks up the completed order. Then it shows all of the suggested corrections right inside the user’s WordPress revision history, providing the full benefit of professional editorial support while retaining complete creative control.

“As blog writing and self-publishing continues to grow in popularity, we have to be innovative and create new ways for clients to easily access our services,” said Clarke. “The document revision industry has changed, and we are leaders in revolutionizing this industry.”

Scribendi.com understands that blogs represent the writer, or the company that endorses it, and any errors can detract from the content and damage credibility. Their editing WordPress Plugin eliminates errors and ensures that all blog posts receive attention for the right reasons—not for grammatical or spelling errors that have gone viral.

This editing plugin allows blog writers to have their posts professionally edited on the fly. Scribendi.com has changed the way writers connect to editors, making editing more accessible to writers using the Internet. The WordPress Plugin connects directly to Scribendi.com’s blog editing services.

From the floor of PAX Prime (no, we’re not there) here is the latest fact sheet for Dead Rising 2: Off The Record.

Photojournalist and original hero of Dead Rising’s Willamette incident, Frank West takes center stage once again in Dead Rising® 2 Off the Record. Forget what you know about Dead Rising 2, as players will experience a reimagining of the Fortune City outbreak.

The new “Off the Record” storyline means an all new Dead Rising 2 experience. Frank will face off against more twisted enemies, build more outrageous combo weapons, follow his own unique mission structure and explore brand new areas of Fortune City to get his biggest scoop yet. Join Frank as he indulges in the insanity of “Uranus Zone”, Fortune City’s very own theme park. Full of deadly rides and crazy attractions, the sci-fi themed Uranus Zone is a true zombie-killing paradise.

Fans have asked for it and now Dead Rising 2 Off the Record delivers a fully realized Sandbox Mode! Available from the outset and supporting both single and co-op modes, players can now explore all Fortune City has to offer without having to worry about the clock. In addition, Sandbox Mode offers a selection of gruesome and unique challenges such as ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, ‘Chop Suey’ and ‘Silver Strip Smackdown,’ all with online leaderboard support.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz0RcXXrc60]

Frank’s come-back also means the return of his trusty camera, with players able to earn Prestige Points (PP) for specific photo opportunities that are graded against criteria such as horror, drama, erotica and brutality. In addition to the new scenario, Sandbox Mode and gameplay enhancements, Dead Rising 2 Off The Record offers a suite of technical updates including load time optimizations, improved network performance and a host of system upgrades to deliver a more satisfying Dead Rising experience.

To celebrate the launch of Eidos Montreal’s latest title Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Square Enix has commissioned filmmaker Rob Spence, who goes by the pseudonym EyeBorg, to investigate prosthetics, cybernetics and human augmentation. As a real life cyborg, having replaced his eye with a wireless camera, Spence is in a unique position to comment on how close we are to the cybernetic future presented to us in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The film Deus Ex: The Eyeborg Documentary, looks at pioneering work in sight restoration, augmented reality, advanced prosthetic limbs and trans-humanism.  Travelling the globe Spence interviews other real-life cyborgs and leading creators of biotechnology.

During his travels he interviews a number of people including a blind man given sight by cutting-edge technology, including a former US army Sergeant whose new legs have enabled him to compete as a professional skier, and the creators of a revolutionary firefighter mask which incorporates augmented technology.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW78wbN-WuU]

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd has launched the “Arms Race” patch for its popular online cartoon style third-person action shooter, MicroVolts. The new patch includes a brand new mode, a new map and new weapons, parts and accessories. A new trailer and screenshots explore the new map and feature the characters sporting the new content that is now available to players.

MicroVolters will have to amp up their competitiveness in new mode, Arms Race! Players have 20 weapons to conquer and must rapidly master each weapon to defeat their opponents before they are able to upgrade their arsenal. The toy war continues in the new map, Toy Fleet, where players will quickly find out that this is no ordinary kiddie pool! From steamboats to battleships, MicroVolters will have to dodge enemy bullets without falling in the water!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nghjsuKrdfE]

In addition to the new mode and map, new weapons, Parts & Accessories have also been introduced. With summer almost over and back to school season upon us, the MicroWorld is celebrating both occasions! MicroVolters take one last strut down the beach in Naomi’s Grey Tank Top before pulling out Knox’s School Ready Hoodie to gear up for class. School yard bullies will be seeing red after being whacked by the Red Drawing Pencil!

“The MicroVolts community had a great summer and now it’s time to head back to school-but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to have fun!” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions. “From the new Toy Fleet map to the fast paced Arms Race mode to all the new accessories, there will be plenty for MicroVolters to enjoy well into the Fall!”

Rock Hippo invites all their Canadian fans to come and see MicroVolts on exhibition at Fan Expo in Toronto this weekend. Visitors can participate in the special promotion for in-game currency as well as come grab some cool gaming swag at Booth 1445.

Calgary-based mobile local search and advertising company Poynt Corporation has been awarded the runner-up grand prize in the app category in Nokia’s “Calling All Innovators 2011” mobile app and games development contest. An overall grand-prize winner and runner up were awarded for both the app and game categories. The grand-prize runners-up and winners were determined based on overall points awarded by a panel of Nokia judges.

The Nokia Calling All Innovators global competition attracted over 800 entrants in 17 app and game categories. Entrants were competing for the chance to share in a total of $10 million (USD) in cash and prizes. The grand-prize winners and the two runners-up were announced August 25, 2011 at an award ceremony held at Nokia’s U.S. flagship office in Sunnyvale, California.

According to the contest rules, the runner-up grand prize winners will be featured in Nokia marketing campaigns worth $1 Million (USD). This award is in addition to the $150,000 (USD) cash prize previously announced on August 22, 2011 for winning the productivity and tools app category. The campaigns will include promotion of the Poynt app in various consumer marketing campaigns.

A unique blend of consumer and expert judging was relied on to determine the category winners of the Calling All Innovators Contest. The top apps were initially chosen based on total app downloads by consumers and sales totals in Nokia’s Ovi Store. The top ten downloaded apps in each category (five paid apps and five free apps) were then judged by an expert panel of judges from Nokia. This blend of consumer and expert judging chosen by Nokia helped ensure that the best apps were not only the most popular apps but also provided the best user experience.

“Nokia designed a contest that rigorously tested each application and we are honored to be considered one of the top apps,” said Andrew Osis, President and CEO of Poynt Corp. “It is our goal to be able to offer a rich user experience across different device platforms, and this win highlights our success in achieving this goal.”

More information about Poynt for Nokia can be found on the Poynt web site.