News

Canadian Intelligence Service CSIS Warns Against ‘Smart City’ Technology

Published

1 year ago

2023-03-09

The Canadian intelligence service warns that adversaries like the Chinese government could use “Smart City” technology innovations to harvest sensitive data, target diaspora communities, and interfere in elections.

Before “smart city” platforms are widely adopted, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service urges policymakers and the technology industry to consider steps that can be taken to address and mitigate the emerging security threat.

These systems include electronically linked devices that gather, analyze, store and transmit data via centralized platforms. Municipalities, in turn, can use artificial intelligence to control operations and services more efficiently, such as changing traffic lights at the optimal time, managing energy use, or tracking the location of publicly rented bicycles.

“One of the primary security concerns associated with smart cities is the requirement for the selection and retention of massive, continuously processed data pools that could be exploited to reveal patterns of individual and societal behavior,” according to the report.

“These worries are exacerbated by a lack of control and visibility over where this data is stored and who has access to it.”

The CSIS report, completed in 2021, was only recently made available to CTV News in response to an access-to-information request filed in October.

While integrating technological innovations and data can improve process efficiency, CSIS warns that it can also introduce security risks.

“Smart city devices collect massive amounts of personal data, such as biometric data and other information highlighting personal life choices and patterns. Hostile state actors are investigating various methods of gaining access to future smart city platforms, including access provided by state-owned or state-linked technology firms.”

CSIS warns that Canadian municipalities may willingly enter into technological partnerships with foreign companies that allow hostile or undemocratic states access to collect data.

Smarty City Tech Projects

Smart city projects in Western countries have faced opposition due to privacy concerns, but China has “embraced the concept wholeheartedly,” according to the report, giving the country’s technology companies a competitive advantage. Beijing’s artificial intelligence advantage stems from its access to large amounts of data, lax privacy regulations, and cheap labor to categorize data and develop AI algorithms.

According to CSIS, China is utilizing new technologies to support “digital authoritarianism,” which uses advanced technology to monitor, repress, and manipulate domestic and foreign populations.

Meanwhile, the report predicts that next-generation networks and interconnected technology will become deeply embedded in municipal critical infrastructures over the next decade, increasing the possibility of “back door” access. A major concern is that a single breach could expose all devices to interference or attack.

“In other words, data collected via a bike-sharing app could theoretically increase access to other connected devices, such as a city’s energy grid, water supply, or traffic-light management database,” according to the report.

“This exposure will have serious financial, social and health and safety implications in Canada. Consider a scenario in which a coordinated cyberattack disables safety locks that prevent catastrophic explosions at a petrochemical facility while controlling traffic lights to thwart emergency response.”

According to the report, legal access to data could come from contracts between cities and companies, whereas illicit access could occur internally through a built-in function of foreign equipment or software or externally due to a cyberattack or data breach.

The data can then target specific elements of Canadian society, such as Chinese diaspora communities, infrastructure such as natural gas plants, water treatment facilities, and central government databases, democratic political processes such as elections, or civil society groups, it adds.

Data-harvesting techniques

The use of data-harvesting techniques by countries such as China, Iran, and Russia to track diaspora populations, specifically individuals considered adversaries, is a legitimate concern, according to David Murakami Wood, a University of Ottawa professor who specializes in surveillance, security, and technology.

“There is no such thing as innocent data,” he said in an interview.

Murakami Wood cautioned against believing that keeping data entirely in Canadian hands makes it safer. According to him, it is common for organizations to seek access to large pools of data for reasons unrelated to why the data was gathered in the first place.

“You can be sure if there’s a very large-scale national database constructed, for example, that the police will want access to it sooner or later. And they’ll make a compelling case for why they should.”

While connecting some municipal services to the internet makes sense, others, such as hospitals, may be too sensitive to the risk of being linked to cyberspace, according to Murakami Wood.

“If you want a very smart city, we should first consider what you don’t want to connect.”

Taking the necessary steps to address the security threats posed by smart cities will necessitate informed debate and consultation at all levels of government, according to the CSIS report.

“Various authorities have jurisdiction over different aspects of this challenge. Municipalities, particularly, are leading the way regarding implementation and contractual arrangements with technology vendors.”

Related Topics:canada csis smart city technology

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Politics

G7 Warns Of New Sanctions Against Iran As World Reacts To Apparent Israeli Drone Attack

Published

2 hours ago

2024-04-19

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

Paris police find no weapons on a man detained at Iran’s consulate.

Police said Friday that they discovered no weapons on a man held at the Iranian consulate in Paris after responding to a report of a suspicious man carrying a grenade and an explosives vest.

A Paris police spokesperson told The Associated Press that authorities were verifying the man’s identity but discovered no such weapons on him or in his car.

AP News – VOR News Image

G7 Warns Of New Sanctions Against Iran As World Reacts To Apparent Israeli Drone Attack

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to be publicly identified under police procedure.

Some of the police, special agents, and firefighters who rushed to the situation at the consulate were later spotted leaving the area after being arrested. A police cordon remained in place, although traffic had resumed in the area.

According to the official, the individual was observed late Friday morning, and police initiated a special operation as soon as they were notified.

The event occurred at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, as Paris prepares to host the summer Olympics.

The director of the United Nations’ nuclear inspector says there was no damage to the Isfahan nuclear facility following a purported Israeli drone attack on a major air base near the Iranian city.

When asked about the nuclear facility on Sky News, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated, “There hasn’t been any damage at the site or anything that would indicate that (there) were hits nearby or something that could lead you to believe that there was an intention to reach these places.”

The Isfahan facility has three small research reactors supplied by China, as well as fuel production and other activities for Iran’s civilian nuclear program.

G7 Warns Of New Sanctions Against Iran As World Reacts To Apparent Israeli Drone Attack

Isfahan also contains locations related with Iran’s nuclear program, such as the subterranean Natanz enrichment facility, which has been frequently attacked by suspected Israeli sabotage strikes.

Iranian authorities claim that air defenses fired on a key air base in Isfahan, which has long housed Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats, purchased prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Missile remnants were discovered Friday near Latifiya, southwest of Baghdad.

An official with an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with journalists, said the missile was shot down due to jamming efforts. The Iraqi army lacks jamming systems similar to those used to destroy the rocket, but Iran has handed such gear to its allied militias.

It was unclear whether the rocket was part of an Israeli attack on Iran or last weekend’s Iranian attack on Israel. Local media images of the site showed what seemed to be an air-to-surface missile. There were no reports of Iran firing air-to-surface missiles during Saturday’s onslaught, which comprised over 300 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.

G7 Warns Of New Sanctions Against Iran As World Reacts To Apparent Israeli Drone Attack

Tehran launched the attack in response to a purported Israeli strike in Syria on April 1, which killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consulate building.

SOURCE (AP)

News

Police Arrest Six People Over US$14.5 Million Gold Heist in Canada

Published

21 hours ago

2024-04-18

Geoff Thomas

Largest Gold Heist in Canadian History: File Photo

Six people have been arrested, including a jeweler and a commercial airline employee, and police have issued warrants for three more suspects in connection with what they say the single-largest gold robbery in Canadian history.

According to Peel Regional Police in Ontario, a joint investigation with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) resulted in the filing of nearly two dozen charges against the suspects in connection with the nearly $20 million Canadian dollar ($14.5 million) heist that occurred a year ago.

During a news conference in Ontario on Wednesday, Peel Regional Police Detective-Sergeant Mike Mavity told reporters that 400 kilograms of gold bars weighing more than 900 pounds, as well as approximately CA$2.5 million ($1.8 million) in stolen bank notes, were hijacked at Toronto Pearson International Airport after arriving on a commercial flight from Europe.

In total, 6,600 gold bars of various sizes were stolen, each of which was “99.9% pure and contained individualized serial numbers,” according to Mavity.

Gold Was in Hull of Air Canada aeroplane: File Photo

According to Peel Regional Police in Ontario, a joint investigation with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) resulted in nearly two dozen charges being filed against the suspects in connection with the nearly $20 million Canadian dollar heist that occurred on April 17, 2023.

On April 17, 2023, the gold and money were loaded into the hull of an Air Canada flight in “an approved airline container” bound for Toronto.

At 3:56 p.m. same day, the flight arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and the gold and cash were quickly removed from the aircraft and transported to an Air Canada facility.

At 6:32 p.m., a man suspect came at air can freight driving a 5-ton truck and approached the property with what police called a counterfeit airway bill, a document used by carriers to track shipments.

Shortly after, a forklift arrived and loaded the item into the suspect’s truck. The suspect then drove off.

Fake Shipping Bill: Photo Peel Police

According to a police press release, officials discovered the document bill at 2:43 a.m. the next day to be a duplicate of an airline bill for a valid shipment of fish delivered and picked up the day before.

According to Mavity, the fake bill was produced at the Air Canada facility, and when officials discovered the products were gone, they used security footage to monitor part of the suspect’s subsequent trip until losing track of the truck in north Milton, an Ontario suburb.

Police stated that the crime was an inside operation and that a former Air Canada manager was wanted in the case.

So far police said they have arrested the following suspects in connection to the gold heist case:

Air Canada employee Parmpal Sidhu, 54, of Ontario
Jewelry store owner Ali Raza, 37, of Toronto
Amit Jalota, 40, of Ontario
Ammad Chaudhary, 43, of Ontario
Prasath Paramalingam, 35, of Ontario

All five were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in court at a later date, Mavity said.

The truck driver who allegedly picked up the gold, Durante King-Mclean, 25 of Ontario, is currently in custody in the U.S. on firearms and trafficking related charges.

Here are the suspects at large:

Air Canada manager Simran Preet Panesar, 31, of Ontario
Archit Grover, 36, of Ontario
Arsalan Chaudhary, 42, of Ontario

Only CA$90,000 ($65,000) of the more than CA$20 million recovered, said to Peel Regional Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich.

According to US Today, U.S. ATF Special Agent Eric DeGree, King-Mclean was detained in Pennsylvania following a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of 65 illicit guns destined for Canada. According to DeGree, King-Mclean attempted to flee after police discovered the firearms in a rental car he was driving.

According to Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, two of the individuals identified by police worked for the airline’s cargo division at the time of the crime.

“One left the company prior to the arrests announced today, and the second has been suspended,” he stated, according to the site. “Because matter is now before the courts, we are unable to speak further.

According to the announcement, only about CA $90,000 (one kilogram of gold) has been found and melted down into bangle bracelets. According to authorities, the remaining gold was most likely melted down and used to purchase illicit weaponry.

“I commend our investigators, the ATF, other law enforcement partners, and our community for working together to identify and arrest those responsible for this brazen crime,” Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement this week.

Anyone with information regarding the case should contact Peel Regional Police.

World

2023: Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

Published

22 hours ago

2024-04-18

Kiara Grace

NDTV - VOR News Image

WARSAW, Poland – A Polish man has been arrested on suspicion of preparing to spy for Russia’s military intelligence in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Polish prosecutors said Thursday.

According to a statement released by Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office, the individual, known only as Pawel K. under Polish privacy regulations, was accused of preparing to transmit airport security information to Russian agents and was arrested in Poland on Wednesday.

AP News Image

Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

The man was looking for contact with Russians directly involved in the war in Ukraine and was expected to provide detailed information about the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in south-east Poland, near the Ukrainian border, which serves as the gateway for international military and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. It also caters to leaders and politicians traveling in and out of Ukraine. The airport is controlled by US soldiers.

If convicted, the guy faces up to eight years in prison, according to the statement.

AP News – VOR News

Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

The prosecutors claimed that close cooperation with Ukrainian prosecutors and security agencies, who tipped them off and provided crucial evidence, made the arrest possible. They stated the case is progressing.

On Thursday, prosecutors in Germany announced the arrest of two German-Russian individuals on suspicion of espionage, with one accused of agreeing to carry out assaults on potential targets, including US military bases, in the hopes of damaging supplies to Ukraine.

Dieter S. and Alexander J. were arrested Wednesday in Bayreuth, Bavaria, according to German federal authorities.

Since Moscow initiated its campaign on Ukraine in February 2022, several persons have been arrested in Poland on suspicion of spying for Russia, including a dual Russian-Spanish citizen.

CNN – Vor News Image

Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

Poland, a European Union member, has been a loyal backer of neighboring Ukraine and Zelenskyy in their fight against Russia’s aggression for more than two years.

SOURCE – (AP)