Lisa Levesque
@lisalevesque.bsky.social
Librarian, cyclist, sewist
Currently researching data brokers
Currently researching data brokers
Pinned
Lisa Levesque
@lisalevesque.bsky.social
· Dec 11
I've been reading about data surveillance non-stop, and my 2026 goal is to share more of what I've learned. If I'm horrified, you need to be horrified.
In Surveillance Capitalism, Zuboff asks for a "rebirth of astonishment and outrage" at the scale of data surveillance. Outrage is back, baby!
In Surveillance Capitalism, Zuboff asks for a "rebirth of astonishment and outrage" at the scale of data surveillance. Outrage is back, baby!
The MAG having no librarians is scandalous. As this article says, it places Ontarians at a disadvantage when the MAG faces off against a private law firm that does have librarians.
Where are the Law Librarians? - Slaw
In recent years, the number of law librarians in public sector and academic roles has declined. Most notably, the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) has reduced the staff of its Toronto-ba...
www.slaw.ca
August 27, 2026 at 5:17 PM
The MAG having no librarians is scandalous. As this article says, it places Ontarians at a disadvantage when the MAG faces off against a private law firm that does have librarians.
You love to see it! This data broker focused privacy complaint names companies including Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, Penlink, and Flock and is signed by groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future.
Coalition Files Formal Request with Maryland Attorney General to Investigate Data Brokers for Violating State Privacy Laws – We Are CASA
wearecasa.org
August 20, 2026 at 2:30 PM
You love to see it! This data broker focused privacy complaint names companies including Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, Penlink, and Flock and is signed by groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future.
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Link to the Report: notechforice.com/wp-content/u...
notechforice.com
August 6, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Link to the Report: notechforice.com/wp-content/u...
The latest on ICE and LexisNexis
New from 404 Media: ICE to spend millions to buy data from LexisNexis to then feed into a Palantir system. ICE has long bought data from LexisNexis, which feds use to map out a person's addresses, location, assets, etc. But now explicitly want to use with Palantir www.404media.co/ice-to-pay-l...
ICE to Pay LexisNexis Millions for Data to Feed to Palantir
LexisNexis sells a massive amount of data to law enforcement, including ICE. New records indicate ICE wants to feed that data into a Palantir system.
www.404media.co
August 11, 2026 at 1:24 PM
The latest on ICE and LexisNexis
Lewis says: “The savings of hardworking Canadians should not be used to make us complicit in these terrifying, authoritarian activities of the Trump regime."
He's talking about pension plans, but taxpayer funds also go to TR through university library and and courthouse subscriptions.
He's talking about pension plans, but taxpayer funds also go to TR through university library and and courthouse subscriptions.
This contract is clearly designed to enable both Trump's mass deportation campaign, and his move to use ICE to manipulate the midterm elections.
But it’s also a reminder of how deeply entwined Canada's elites are with US corporate and government interests.
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/07/21/n...
But it’s also a reminder of how deeply entwined Canada's elites are with US corporate and government interests.
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/07/21/n...
Thomson Reuters to share American information with ICE in new deal
While the company insists it has "safeguards" in place to prevent misuse of the information, some experts say the US$125-million deal is a "red flag."
www.nationalobserver.com
July 24, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Lewis says: “The savings of hardworking Canadians should not be used to make us complicit in these terrifying, authoritarian activities of the Trump regime."
He's talking about pension plans, but taxpayer funds also go to TR through university library and and courthouse subscriptions.
He's talking about pension plans, but taxpayer funds also go to TR through university library and and courthouse subscriptions.
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Bravo @mayoroliviachow.ca for taking action to protect Toronto residents from surveillance pricing.
It’s time to end this predatory practice before it becomes normalized - yet another daily digital injustice.
/1
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
It’s time to end this predatory practice before it becomes normalized - yet another daily digital injustice.
/1
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Toronto's mayor says surveillance pricing gouges customers and the city should ban it | CBC News
Surveillance pricing, where businesses use consumer data to offer different prices based on what they think each individual customer will pay, threatens to gouge Torontonians who are already struggling to afford the cost of living, says Mayor Olivia Chow. She's introducing a motion Monday to see if the city can ban the practice.
www.cbc.ca
July 22, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Bravo @mayoroliviachow.ca for taking action to protect Toronto residents from surveillance pricing.
It’s time to end this predatory practice before it becomes normalized - yet another daily digital injustice.
/1
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
It’s time to end this predatory practice before it becomes normalized - yet another daily digital injustice.
/1
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
The news from 404 Media that TR is working with ICE on "voter fraud," combined with news they are selling off their print media to private equity, tells you everything about their priorities. It's like if Penguin announced they were no longer doing books to focus on imprisoning children.
July 17, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The news from 404 Media that TR is working with ICE on "voter fraud," combined with news they are selling off their print media to private equity, tells you everything about their priorities. It's like if Penguin announced they were no longer doing books to focus on imprisoning children.
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Canada’s Bill C-22 is riddled with privacy problems that affect millions of people. Instead of jamming it though on an arbitrary deadline, it should be debated fully. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Canada Is Forging Ahead with Its Dangerous Surveillance Bill
With no serious debate, including on proposed amendments, Canada is blazing full speed ahead with Bill C-22, which would threaten encryption and increase surveillance. Also known as the Lawful Access
www.eff.org
June 22, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Canada’s Bill C-22 is riddled with privacy problems that affect millions of people. Instead of jamming it though on an arbitrary deadline, it should be debated fully. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
No matter your political views, all Canadians deserve strong privacy protections! Petition e-7237 asks Parliament to improve oversight of political party data practices.
✍️ Sign and share: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
#cdnpoli @bcfipa.bsky.social @cancivlib.bsky.social
✍️ Sign and share: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
#cdnpoli @bcfipa.bsky.social @cancivlib.bsky.social
June 3, 2026 at 8:47 PM
No matter your political views, all Canadians deserve strong privacy protections! Petition e-7237 asks Parliament to improve oversight of political party data practices.
✍️ Sign and share: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
#cdnpoli @bcfipa.bsky.social @cancivlib.bsky.social
✍️ Sign and share: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
#cdnpoli @bcfipa.bsky.social @cancivlib.bsky.social
“CLEAR…allows users to retrieve thousands of data points about any individual: current and historical addresses, known associates and family members, vehicle info…The platform was built specifically to help users locate and identify individuals. That is the functional definition of surveillance.”
Guest Editorial: Tell the Whole Truth, Thomson Reuters
(This is a guest editorial by Emma Pullman, head of shareholder engagement and responsible investment at the British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) in Canada, a minority shareholder in Thom...
www.lawnext.com
June 3, 2026 at 1:25 PM
“CLEAR…allows users to retrieve thousands of data points about any individual: current and historical addresses, known associates and family members, vehicle info…The platform was built specifically to help users locate and identify individuals. That is the functional definition of surveillance.”
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
I cannot say this loudly enough: we need everyone to know what is happening at Delaney Hall.
300 detainees inside are on Day 7 of a hunger and labor strike as of today.
ICE is beating, gassing, tasing and assaulting protestors outside every night, and it is getting worse.
300 detainees inside are on Day 7 of a hunger and labor strike as of today.
ICE is beating, gassing, tasing and assaulting protestors outside every night, and it is getting worse.
May 28, 2026 at 9:54 AM
I cannot say this loudly enough: we need everyone to know what is happening at Delaney Hall.
300 detainees inside are on Day 7 of a hunger and labor strike as of today.
ICE is beating, gassing, tasing and assaulting protestors outside every night, and it is getting worse.
300 detainees inside are on Day 7 of a hunger and labor strike as of today.
ICE is beating, gassing, tasing and assaulting protestors outside every night, and it is getting worse.
More breaking news for TR, with an expanded proposal in response to evasive language
Ahead of June 10 Shareholder Vote, Union Investor Renews Push for Thomson Reuters to Assess Human Rights Impact of Its Products Used By ICE
Last month, I wrote about the pushback by employees, shareholders and others against Thomson Reuters over its contracts to sell law enforcement data to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),....
www.lawnext.com
May 26, 2026 at 11:59 PM
More breaking news for TR, with an expanded proposal in response to evasive language
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Looks like the Pope would be against data brokers @lisalevesque.bsky.social
May 25, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Looks like the Pope would be against data brokers @lisalevesque.bsky.social
“Psychologically harmful material accumulates when mass surveillance is the basis for collection…to fix the problem, we have to return to its roots, questioning what really is in the data, questioning the whole premise of its wide-scale, indiscriminate seizure.”
- Karen Hao, Empire of AI, p. 138
- Karen Hao, Empire of AI, p. 138
May 24, 2026 at 7:02 PM
“Psychologically harmful material accumulates when mass surveillance is the basis for collection…to fix the problem, we have to return to its roots, questioning what really is in the data, questioning the whole premise of its wide-scale, indiscriminate seizure.”
- Karen Hao, Empire of AI, p. 138
- Karen Hao, Empire of AI, p. 138
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
What a day for AI resistance resources!
1) The AI Resist List from @karenhao.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at airesistlist.org
2) The Luddite Lab from @alexhanna.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at labor.dair-institute.org
1) The AI Resist List from @karenhao.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at airesistlist.org
2) The Luddite Lab from @alexhanna.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at labor.dair-institute.org
May 20, 2026 at 10:40 PM
What a day for AI resistance resources!
1) The AI Resist List from @karenhao.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at airesistlist.org
2) The Luddite Lab from @alexhanna.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at labor.dair-institute.org
1) The AI Resist List from @karenhao.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at airesistlist.org
2) The Luddite Lab from @alexhanna.bsky.social and colleagues at DAIR at labor.dair-institute.org
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Bill C-22 has gone off the rails. My post explains how the government scrapped one bad lawful access provision, but created a two-headed monster of mandatory metadata retention and a technical capability mandate that could apply to all digital providers.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/05/the-...
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/05/the-...
The Lawful Access Two-Headed Surveillance Monster: How Bill C-22 Went Off the Rails - Michael Geist
The government’s plans for lawful access have gone off the rails. In recent days, Signal has warned it would pull out of the Canadian market rather than comply with Bill C-22. Windscribe, the Toronto-...
www.michaelgeist.ca
May 16, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Bill C-22 has gone off the rails. My post explains how the government scrapped one bad lawful access provision, but created a two-headed monster of mandatory metadata retention and a technical capability mandate that could apply to all digital providers.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/05/the-...
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/05/the-...
"While the dollar values of these contracts are significant, they are modest relative to the companies’ total revenues. Thomson Reuters generated more than $7 billion last year. RELX is comparably large. The $22.8 million LEIDS-5 contract represents a rounding error in Thomson Reuters’ earnings."
The Legal Tech Giants Powering ICE, Part 1 — How Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis Helped Support America’s Immigration Surveillance Machine
For the lawyers and other legal professionals who use Westlaw and LexisNexis every day, these platforms are familiar tools of the trade – essential systems for finding case law, checking citations and...
www.lawnext.com
April 27, 2026 at 6:57 PM
"While the dollar values of these contracts are significant, they are modest relative to the companies’ total revenues. Thomson Reuters generated more than $7 billion last year. RELX is comparably large. The $22.8 million LEIDS-5 contract represents a rounding error in Thomson Reuters’ earnings."
"I want to remind you that the future is yours, and it is not known — not by you, not by Georgetown, not by Sam Altman or Elon Musk, not by the chatbot, not by me. And that is a beautiful thing."
An Open Letter to Georgetown Students, In Response to Recent Announcements about "Generative AI"
An Open Letter to Georgetown Students, In Response to Recent Announcements by the University about “Generative AI” Image source: Bibliothèque nationale de France Dear students, As you know, in …
medium.com
April 20, 2026 at 6:35 PM
"I want to remind you that the future is yours, and it is not known — not by you, not by Georgetown, not by Sam Altman or Elon Musk, not by the chatbot, not by me. And that is a beautiful thing."
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
"I did what anyone should do—I raised the alarm. Thomson Reuters’ response was to fire me.” www.404media.co/thomson-reut...
Thomson Reuters Fired Worker For Speaking Out About ICE, Former Employee Says
“When I saw evidence that our products were being used to harm people and undermine the law, I did what anyone should do—I raised the alarm. Thomson Reuters’ response was to fire me.”
www.404media.co
April 19, 2026 at 5:21 PM
"I did what anyone should do—I raised the alarm. Thomson Reuters’ response was to fire me.” www.404media.co/thomson-reut...
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Bill C-22, three days of House debate:
- One paragraph on mandatory metadata retention
- A process answer on encryption back doors
- An admission this is only "a first step"
- A defence of the lower threshold as "higher than mere suspicion"
Full analysis below.
- One paragraph on mandatory metadata retention
- A process answer on encryption back doors
- An admission this is only "a first step"
- A defence of the lower threshold as "higher than mere suspicion"
Full analysis below.
April 19, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Bill C-22, three days of House debate:
- One paragraph on mandatory metadata retention
- A process answer on encryption back doors
- An admission this is only "a first step"
- A defence of the lower threshold as "higher than mere suspicion"
Full analysis below.
- One paragraph on mandatory metadata retention
- A process answer on encryption back doors
- An admission this is only "a first step"
- A defence of the lower threshold as "higher than mere suspicion"
Full analysis below.
Reposted by Lisa Levesque
Dozens of civil liberties, racial justice, LGBTQ+, press freedom, abortion access & human rights orgs have spoken out against these dangerous and misguided “age verification” laws, several of which have already been struck down as unconstitutional in other states. www.eff.org/pages/age-ve...
Age Verification Bills Are Unconstitutional
Courts around the country have confirmed that it is nearly impossible to impose online age-verification requirements on social media platforms, general purpose websites, or app stores without violatin...
www.eff.org
April 9, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Dozens of civil liberties, racial justice, LGBTQ+, press freedom, abortion access & human rights orgs have spoken out against these dangerous and misguided “age verification” laws, several of which have already been struck down as unconstitutional in other states. www.eff.org/pages/age-ve...
The more I read about this bill, the more infuriating it is. It would force telecommunications companies (not defined) to mass surveil Canadians so this data could be available if req with a warrant. The government wants the public to pay for its own surveillance through compensation for telecoms.
Liberal bill would force companies to simplify data access for police. No one knows the cost | CBC News
The Liberal government's second attempt at giving police and spies easier access to Canadians' information includes what's anticipated to be costly demands on a range of private businesses to to chang...
www.cbc.ca
April 3, 2026 at 3:05 PM
The more I read about this bill, the more infuriating it is. It would force telecommunications companies (not defined) to mass surveil Canadians so this data could be available if req with a warrant. The government wants the public to pay for its own surveillance through compensation for telecoms.
Great article which links to employee letters concerned about the sale of this data and describes how this data is blended into Palantir technology.
The findings draw a clearer line between Thomson Reuters’ data business—which can involve selling:
- Names
- Addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Someone's ethnicity under the brand name CLEAR
The specific tools ICE is ingesting the data into.
- Names
- Addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Someone's ethnicity under the brand name CLEAR
The specific tools ICE is ingesting the data into.
How Thomson Reuters Powers ICE and Palantir
Thomson Reuters’ data, which can include peoples’ addresses and details on their ethnicity, is linked to tools used ICE.
www.404media.co
April 1, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Great article which links to employee letters concerned about the sale of this data and describes how this data is blended into Palantir technology.
❤️ Love this
OH MY HEART...the Oberlin Luddites Reject "The Year of AI Exploration"! 💚
March 26, 2026 at 5:50 PM
❤️ Love this