Tag Archives: digital id

Canadians to Pre-Submit Biometrics, Digital Photo, Driver’s License for USA Border Crossings 2026

Canadians driving into the United States will be asked to pre-submit photos and licence plate numbers to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) starting in 2026, according to a federal report.

The upcoming requirements will fall under the agency’s ongoing Traveller Modernization initiative, a program aimed at expediting border processing through the use of digital tools.

As part of the program, Canadians will need to “provide their biographic, biometric declaration, and other border-related information prior to arriving at the port of entry,” says the government report, which was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.

“Travelers will use a redesigned advance declaration mobile application to submit their digital photo, advance declaration, and license plate information in advance of arrival.”

Border officers will be provided with smartphones to access and process digital referrals, the report said.

A comparable electronic filing system will be rolled out to marine passengers in 2027 and to air passengers in 2028, the report said. 

The Traveller Modernization plan is not associated with the agency’s now-optional $59.5 million ArriveCan program, a mobile app launched by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which required travelers entering Canada to electronically submit travel documents, health assessments, and customs declarations. The app was later used for travelers to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination, sparking concerns from some over privacy rights.

ArriveCan was also criticized over its high costs to develop and failure to follow standard procurement procedures. A report from Auditor General Karen Hogan found that federal agencies involved in the contracting, development and implementation of the app showed a “glaring disregard for basic management and contracting practices” and that Canadians “paid too much” for ArriveCan.

The Traveller Modernization report did not say how much the new plan would cost.

The report also didn’t indicate if the program will be mandatory or optional for travelers, but the CBSA has described it as a way to deal with security threats and economic and migratory trends as well as the ever-increasing numbers of travelers.

The border service facelift is touted as a way to cut processing times for travelers and make the process less cumbersome overall.

The CBSA said it has taken “careful steps to research and plan our actions” to alleviate travelers’ privacy and security concerns.

“When you provide your information as you enter Canada, we make sure to protect and secure it,” the agency said. “We do not keep it for any longer than we need to.”

Collection of travelers’ information isn’t new. The government in 2019 approved a legislative framework to allow the CBSA to systematically collect exit information on all travelers leaving Canada.

The Exit Information Regulations enabled the CBSA to compile complete travel history records on all travelers leaving Canada by air and land.

“By collecting the information from reliable partners, rather than requiring travelers to report to the CBSA when leaving Canada, the process will be seamless for travelers,” the government said.

CBSA- border services officers were not armed until their union fought for the right and won in 2006.

At land borders, the CBSA receives information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) shortly after a traveler enters the United States. The U.S. entry record serves as a record of exit from Canada.

The CBSA has also proposed other programs to it says will speed up the travel process, including advance declaration forms that can be filled out ahead of time and digital kiosks and eGates for travelers to verify their identity.  For the Silo, Jennifer Cowan.

Research: Adult Content, Streaming & Video Hosting Sites Have Most Security Threats

According to research by our friends at NordVPN, one of the leading cybersecurity companies, adult content, streaming, and video hosting sites have the most security and privacy threats, such as malware, intrusive ads, and trackers. Research shows that NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature, whose sole purpose is to protect people from such threats, blocked 344M trackers, 341M intrusive ads, and 506K malware infections in the month of December 2022 alone.

“The online world is challenging people in every single move they make. Want to read an article? Dozens of ads and pop-ups are ready to immediately cover your screen. Another privacy threat – malware – is lurking for you on websites and in files you are about to download. Websites you browse are also full of third-party trackers that analyze your browsing history to find out what you do online. It depends on you to stop it,” says Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN.

Adult content sites contain the biggest amount of malware

Malware is malicious software that seeks to damage or compromise a device or data. Malware’s scope varies from relatively harmless to extremely dangerous. Malicious software can track people’s data, steal sensitive information, or even delete it without your consent.

NordVPN research shows that adult content sites (21%), as well as cloud storage providers (14%) and entertainment sites (11%), contain the biggest amount of malware. In December, Threat Protection blocked 60.4K, 40.1K, and 30.9K domains of these categories respectively.

Among the most common types of malware are viruses, spyware, worms, trojans, adware, scareware, ransomware, and fireless malware.

Streaming media sites have the most intrusive ads

Intrusive advertising refers to pushing invasive and irrelevant ads in front of consumers. They irritate users by popping up unexpectedly, blocking the host page, opening new pages and windows, or playing video and audio at inopportune times.

As for intrusive ads, the majority of them were found on streaming (23%), adult content (16%), and online shopping (9%) sites. Threat Protection detected and blocked millions of them: 552M, 389M, and 226M respectively.

“Today, ad blockers are essential for both security because they block ads that can infect people’s devices and privacy because annoying ads rely on collecting data from web activity and violating people’s privacy. Also, if a website is loading slower than usual, you can blame intrusive ads. Free apps filled with unwanted ads could also drain your device’s battery faster,” explains Adrianus Warmenhoven.

image: variety.com

Video hosting sites have the biggest number of trackers

While many trackers are a tool for advertising and improving user experience, they may also become handy for online spies. Internet service providers (ISPs), marketing agencies, social media companies, and governments can access your online actions and breach your privacy.

NordVPN’s Threat Protection showed that video hosting sites (22%), cloud storage providers (16.31%), web email (16.25%), and information technology sites (12%) have the most trackers. Video hosting sites alone had 239 billion trackers blocked by Threat Protection in December 2022.

It’s worth adding that earlier NordVPN research showed that the average number of trackers per website is highest in Hong Kong (45.4 trackers), Singapore (33.5), the United States (23.1), and Australia (18.6).

“You can become less trackable online by declining third party cookies, because the website can sell your browsing data to third parties; using a VPN, which will hide your real IP address and location; installing a tracker blocker, which will stop your browsers from collecting information about you; and using privacy browsers, which can obfuscate your browser fingerprint, or ditching Google, which tracks a lot of data about you,” says Adrianus Warmenhoven.

Threat Protection scans your files before you download them, identifies threats, and blocks them before they can harm your device. The feature is free with every NordVPN subscription – and it allows you to go online without leaving a trace, protecting your privacy and improving your digital security.

Methodology: The statistics mentioned above were acquired by analyzing aggregated data gathered by the NordVPN’s Threat Protection service in January 2023. No identifiable user information was collected, reviewed, or otherwise involved when the research and compiled results were conducted.