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Vance Lockton

@vancelockton.bsky.social
496 followers 748 following 71 posts

Sr. Tech Policy Advisor at the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. AI, age assurance, digital ID, PETs, extended reality, neurotech -- talk to me about any of them! Or about birds. Would love to see a shoebill stork in the wild one day. (he/him)

PostsRepliesMedia
Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
The first Canadian Information and Privacy Commissioner to make the shift to Bluesky!
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Nunavut Information & Privacy Commissioner @nuipc.bsky.social · 12/11/2024
The first Bluesky post, hopefully of many, from the Nunavut Information and Privacy Commissioner. We will be writing about access to information, privacy, and (sometimes) just cool things about Canada’s northernmost territory.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 24/10/2024
Flagging @artologica.net's "The Algorithm" series for my privacy folks. I love them, and just need to decide which one(s) shall live on my wall.
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Nnedi Okorafor, PhD @nnedi.bsky.social · 09/10/2024
This is all I need today,😁.
Moo deng vs Godzilla
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 12/10/2024
100% agree; first draft is critical. Admission: beyond my own work, I frequently volunteer to hold the pen for collaborative projects in part because I am very aware of how impactful the first draft is on a final work. Self-serving, but true. Can't stomach the idea of ceding that role to an LLM.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 17/09/2024
I've been around here longer than I thought!
I was number 33654 (first 1%) of BlueSky's first 10M users.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 13/09/2024
Canada's Conservative Party will be introducing a counter to the Liberals' Bill C-63 (Online Harms Act). michellerempelgarner.substack.com/p/the-bill-t... (Not commenting on substance, just flagging that it's coming!)
michellerempelgarner.substack.com
The bill to protect Canadians online that the Liberals should have written.
Conservatives will present new legislation to protect Canadians online that preserves their civil liberties.
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Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · 28/10/2023
PSA: if you take or edit photos of crowds or strangers with Signal, you can use our face blur tool to quickly hide people's biometric face data. You can then export the photo from Signal if you want to post it publicly. More on this feature here: signal.org/blog/blur-tools
signal.org
Blur tools for Signal
Right now, people around the world are marching and protesting against racism and police brutality, outraged by the most recent police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. At Signal, we support the people who have gone into the streets to make their voices heard. We believe that something ...
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Sarah McLaughlin @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social · 30/08/2024
cannot believe this news. horrible.
6abc.com
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew killed after being struck by suspected drunk driver
Columbus Blue Jackets confirm death of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 07/08/2024
Just FYI, Canada's Privacy Commissioner is running a consultation on this topic (open till Sept 10), looking to info to help us establish our approach to some of the issues raised in this article. www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the...
priv.gc.ca
Privacy and age assurance – Exploratory consultation - Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 10/06/2024
A project I've been working on: www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the... If you have thoughts/comments/views, please make a submission or reach out; I'd be happy to talk!
priv.gc.ca
Age assurance exploratory consultation – call for comments - Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Learn about the OPC’s exploratory consultation initiative on on privacy and age assurance for public sector and private sector organisations.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 23/04/2024
Situation: * There is a computer system that was cutting edge in 1977. * It is an irreplaceable treasure of human science. * It is 24 billion kilometres away. * One of the chips has malfunctioned. Challenge: * Fix it. I absolutely love it. blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024...
blogs.nasa.gov
NASA’s Voyager 1 Resumes Sending Engineering Updates to Earth – Voyager
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 23/04/2024
NASA problem solving stories are one of my favorite genres.
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Garth Marenghi's Catbus @catbus.phd · 18/04/2024
this is good advice for everyone, not just vet techs
cat handling procedure:

1. DON'T FIGHT A CAT
2. USE YOUR BRAIN
3. USE DRUGS
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 06/04/2024
Trying to get back into daily #bird drawing. Focusing on heads because all my bird bodies look cartoon-y. Skill will come one day!
Four pencil sketches of various bird heads, done with very moderate skill.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 07/03/2024
A truly West Coast bird -- the varied thrush. This was the best photo I could get, as it kept hopping away behind some reeds. #birds
A robin-sized bird, mainly black with orange stripes on head and wings and a pale orange belly/chest.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 07/03/2024
Went to Vancouver, had a bald eagle encounter! #birds
Bald eagle in a tree, looking back over its shoulder.Same bald eagle now on a beach, next to an empty crab shell.And now it's staring at me!
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Micah Lee @micahflee.com · 05/03/2024
Signal usernames are live! Update the Signal app, make a username, put it in your bio, and boom: you now have Bluesky encrypted DMs
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 05/03/2024
Quick three day knit -- saw this wool in a sale bin and had to do *something* with it, so a cowl it is.
Cowl on a seemingly unhappy model, knit with very chunky blue and black wool.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 24/02/2024
Took a couple days but I have now adequately captured the grumpiness.
House finch looking back over its shoulder, with a noticeable frown and an unhappy glare.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 23/02/2024
Conference this morning: keynote told the story of the insulin patent being sold for a dollar for benefit of humanity, and US Pharma now making $B's off it. (You know, pricing it such that people die because they can't afford it) The takeaway: next time we need to keep those profits in Canada!
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 20/02/2024
Our local red-tailed hawk appears to have found itself a companion!
Two red-tailed hawks a few branches apart in a birch tree, both fluffed up against the cold.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 18/02/2024
Finished knitting myself another vest! I like the colour; just going to have to loosen that shawl collar up a little bit.
Me wearing my new vest -- streaks of grey, blue, white and brown and a shawl-style collar that isn't quite as relaxed as I'd want it. Maybe blocking will help.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 14/02/2024
Happy Valentine's Day (via @rosemarymosco.com)
Cartoon with various images of plants, reading: "Roses are red, violets are blue. Hydnora are leafless, bizarrely fleshy, and incapable of producing chlorophyll. And so are you."
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 08/02/2024
Bsky's open, quote one picture of your cat to promote your cat.
Tortoise-shell patterned sphinx cat, outdoors on a red leash. Standing in a pretty weedy garden.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 08/02/2024
I authentically like that a good number of 404 Media's stories seem to come down to one of them hearing a tech rumor and just ... doing some journalism.
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Lex @zoracon.bsky.social · 02/02/2024
@eff.bsky.social the Public Interest Technology team is hiring for a Staff Technologist and Associate Director of Technology Policy and Research. www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.p... If you are on the fence about applying, feel free to schedule a 15 minute chat with me. www.eff.org/r.4ymy
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Ali Trotta @alwayscoffee.bsky.social · 31/01/2024
Absolutely my dog
A Lord of the Rings meme, with Gandalf saying “I am not trying to rob you! I’m trying to help you.” And the third panel is a dog with a tennis ball in his mouth.
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Aram Zucker-Scharff @chronotope.aramzs.xyz · 16/01/2024
The W3C is hiring a full time person to help lead privacy efforts within the standards organization www.w3.org/careers/2024...
w3.org
Privacy Lead job posting
Open position for a Privacy Lead, for full-time remote work, to lead our Privacy standardization efforts.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 14/01/2024
Went out looking for new ducks today, and I wasn't disappointed! (First pic is an American wigeon, second and third are male and female long-tailed ducks)
American wigeon duck -- mostly coppery-brown with a yellow-white crown and blue-grey bill.Male long-tailed duck, large brown, grey and white patches with a short black and orange bill. Its long tail is sticking up out of the water.Female long-tailed duck -- mostly various grey colors with a white face, chest and belly and black cheeks and crown. Short tail, because like many birds the species is named after the male's characteristics.
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Ryan North @ryannorth.ca · 08/01/2024
This is a lie, and it's always been a lie. Something like ChatGPT needs a TON of text in the language you're targeting to train the model. You get it by licensing it, or you by paying people to write it for you, or by stealing it. What they're saying is it's impossible to create CHEAPLY.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 07/01/2024
Spotted the mockingbird that lives near Fort York for a second time today -- which I suppose means I have to start bringing my camera on winter dog walks. 'Tis my burden.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 05/01/2024
This is fun: for over 500 years all Oxford MA grads swore not to forgive some guy named Henry Symeonis, even though for the last couple hundred no one could remember who he was. www.loweringthebar.net/2024/01/i-he...
loweringthebar.net
“I Hereby Swear to Hate Henry Symeonis, Whoever That Is.”
Recently I learned that for more than 500 years, anyone who wanted a Master of Arts degree from Oxford had to take an oath promising they would never “agree to the reconciliation of Henry Sym…
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eva (^_^)/ @eva.computer · 05/01/2024
Ohio has basically defacto banned trans healthcare for adults using a similar strategy to why there was only a handful of abortion clinics in the entire Midwest before the Dobbs decision (TRAP laws) cis people please repost this so this info doesn't get stuck in the queer social bubble
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 04/01/2024
Oh good, Politco gave him a nice little sit down interview. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
politico.com
We Sat Down With the Conservative Mastermind Behind Claudine Gay’s Ouster
Christopher Rufo explains the motivations behind his latest crusade to topple the Harvard president.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 04/01/2024
I have no words.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 02/01/2024
December (+ January 1st) knitting project complete!
Knitted vest, grey front and blue back with a basket weave-like pattern.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 01/01/2024
Took a couple refreshes, but I've got an even better one :)
Inspirational poster that says "Privacy: A mistake?" over an image of a blue sky in a beach town.
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franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 04/12/2023
Greetings, chordate comrades. #InverteFest is upon us. It's a periodic event where we invite you to celebrate the overlooked invertebrate fauna around you for an entire week. It's happening on whichever platform you're on, so feel free to reupload this image to spread the word!
What is #InverteFest?
It’s a periodic event where we invite you to celebrate the overlooked invertebrate fauna around you and share the joys of discovery online. #InverteFest takes place every April, August, and December over the last 7 days of the month.

Going out?
1. Find invertebrates
2. Share observations online using the hashtag #InverteFest
3. Interact with others who are celebrating the event

BONUS: Join our iNaturalist project to contribute to community science

NOT Going out?
• Post your squid painting
• Stream a game where you play as a crab with a knife
• Selfie with your 27 beetle enamel pins
• Write wikipedia pages

QUESTIONS?
ask franzanth / maureenbug / kellybrenner on iNaturalist / twitter / tumblr / instagram / bluesky

MORE INFO AND IDEAS ON: invertefest.com
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Ramin Skibba @raminskibba.bsky.social · 12/12/2023
*** Everyone, I have devastating news: A tsunami of layoffs swept through WIRED, and I am among the victims. The majority of the science desk was gutted, features was hit, 3 union stewards and 2/3 of the union's diversity committee (incl me) are out. (1/7) www.wired.com
wired.com
WIRED - The Latest in Technology, Science, Culture and Business
We bring you the future as it happens. From the latest in science and technology to the big stories in business and culture, we've got you covered.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 11/12/2023
"LA Dodgers betting on emergence of existential risk-level AI in next 10 years that will let them avoid paying Shohei Ohtani the other $680M" www.thescore.com/mlb/news/279...
thescore.com
Report: Ohtani to defer $680M so Dodgers can keep spending
Trending News & Rumors for Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer & More
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 08/12/2023
In recognition of Human Rights Day, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released a joint statement on Privacy and Democratic Rights with Dr. Ana Brian Nougrères, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy. priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/...
priv.gc.ca
Joint Statement on Privacy and Democratic Rights - Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 07/12/2023
Here's what's been occupying my time over the last couple months. These Principles are a joint effort from Canada's federal, privacy and territorial privacy authorities. www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-t...
priv.gc.ca
Principles for responsible, trustworthy and privacy-protective generative AI technologies - Office o...
Considerations for the application of key privacy principles to generative <abbr title="artificial intelligence">AI</abbr> technologies
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 01/12/2023
Check it out! Stochastic Parrots is now available in audiopaper form, read by Timnit Gebru, @mmitchell.bsky.social Angelina McMillan-Major & me and produced by @ctaylsaurus.bsky.social If you've never read the original and appreciate this format for reading, this is for you!
soundcloud.com
On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? 🦜
Bender, Emily M., Timnit Gebru, Angelina McMillan-Major, and Shmargaret Shmitchell. 2021. On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? 🦜. In Proceedings of FAccT 2021, pp.6...
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 29/11/2023
"Can we have some promotional swag?" "Yes, but it must cost no more than a dime and be designed in less than three seconds."
Plain black pen with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's website printed in grey text. That's it. No other design elements.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 24/11/2023
I can work with that.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 24/11/2023
!foryou
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 20/11/2023
My tutor recommended that I start consuming French media, so I found an early 1900s sci-fi novel which is apparently about Martian vampires. Seems like a great way to develop the weirdest possible vocabulary.
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Vance Lockton @vancelockton.bsky.social · 19/11/2023
Sad that the GenAI-related piece I've been working on is (mostly) done, because I just binged Mrs. Davis and it would've been great to work some of that insanity into it.
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