Kyle Curlew

It's time to mobilize against our national security apparatus

Kyle Curlew — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 23:31:16 +0000

UPDATE: Since this piece was published, U.S. President Donald Trump banned visas from seven Muslim-majority countries and has ratcheted up xenoophobic rhetoric and policies. As a result, a National Day of Action against Islamophobia and White Supremacy has been scheduled for Feb. 4 to oppose this shift. As a show of support, the day of action against surveillance legislation, organized by the CJFE has been moved to Feb. 25.

China's dystopian 'social credit' surveillance system could move to Canada

Kyle Curlew — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 20:00:28 +0000

As surveillance technologies become more ubiquitous, the threat of centralized, state-sponsored social control increases. Almost every device we use is embedded with data collecting technologies -- the Internet of Things. It is a chaotic mess of all sorts of data. But with a clever enough computer algorithm and an obscene amount of resources, this data can be coalesced into user profiles revealing the intimate details of a person's life.

Queen's history of white supremacy much longer than one racist party

Campus Notes — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 19:28:09 +0000

National controversy flared up after the revelation of pictures from a party held near Queen's University campus where students dressed in highly inappropriate, culturally stereotyped costumes -- including Buddhist monks drinking beer, Vietcong guerrilla fighters with rice hats and toy guns, and Mexicans in sombreros and prison outfits. This is racism.

But this story is not about that party. It is about the culture of white privilege that permeates on major campuses around Canada and how activists at Queen's University are working to make meaningful cultural change.

Public consultation on Bill C-51 looks like an elaborate PR stunt

Kyle Curlew — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 16:52:26 +0000

Canada is currently undergoing a human rights crisis. The Liberal government is conducting public consultations over the "problematic elements" of the so-called anti-terror Bill C-51. However, this process is already set up to be rigged.

This three-part blog series will act as a response to the Liberal government's rhetoric of amendments by highlighting the actual problematic elements of the Act. Ultimately, the Liberal government should repeal and replace the Act with national security measures that can be held accountable to our Charter rights to democratic participation and privacy.

Bill C-51 is violating our Charter rights and Canada doesn't care

Kyle Curlew — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 15:28:04 +0000

Canada is currently undergoing a human rights crisis. The Liberal government is currently conducting public consultations over the "problematic elements" of the so-called anti-terror Bill C-51. However, this process is already set up to be rigged.

Canada's legacy of anti-terror panic has come home to roost with Bill C-51

Kyle Curlew — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:59:58 +0000

The Liberals' new discussion paper on Bill C-51 reads like a defence of the bill it's supposed to fix

Kyle Curlew — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 19:55:51 +0000

The Liberal government has recently released a document called Our Security, Our Rights: National Security Green Paper. The Green Paper was meant to kick off a series of public consultations by providing a list of helpful speaking points. The document opens with a stated goal to meet the Liberal Party election promises to amend the "problematic elements" of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Bill C-51).

The history of the Internet: Military anxiety and a hacker's ethic

Kyle Curlew — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 18:03:55 +0000

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Social media algorithms are shaping our daily lives -- and they're not neutral

the views expressed — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 17:37:36 +0000

In 2014, a team of psychologists and computer scientists engineered Facebook's newsfeed to show either positively or negatively associated words for 689,003 users. Users responded by posting either positive or negative comments to the emotively rigged words. This was the first recorded instance of mass emotional contagion. Facebook successfully, and secretly, shaped the emotions of hundreds of thousands of unaware users. When the results were published, controversy erupted.

Social media is amazing at manufacturing our consent and it's not OK

the views expressed — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 17:32:02 +0000

By now you have agreed and consented to countless Terms of Use and Privacy/Data Policies within the expansive social media ecosystem. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, What's App, Snapchat, Yik Yak and many more share one major theme in common -- they all need your consent, for surveillance, data collection, intellectual property seizure -- and they find ways of getting it.

Your consent is typically accounted for by two things: one, by scrolling rapidly to the bottom of these documents and clicking "agree"; or, two, your daily, continued, sustained usage of the social media platform. Your consent is important. And it's a legal necessity. By doing these two tasks, you are allowing them to do things that may entail consequences at the end of the day.

Anonymity is a right that must be protected

the views expressed — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 18:22:34 +0000

After Aaron Driver's attempt to commit an act of terror in an urban center in Southern Ontario, which had been foiled by a joint FBI/RCMP investigation, the Conservatives are renewing its push to maintain the controversial anti-terror legislation Bill C-51 in the face of potential amendments. This was the legislation introduced by the Harper Government after the 2014 Parliament Hill shooting to address the contemporary threats of terrorist attacks.

How Tinder is watching and sorting our intimacy

the views expressed — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 19:04:25 +0000

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Tinder, one of the most popular mobile dating applications on the planet, has become almost ubiquitous in urban centres around Canada. With millions of users swiping left and right and looking for their future (or temporary) lovers, I am left wondering what kinds of exploitative properties are hidden away in the software structure of the application.