In the Liberal leadership race, the cybersecurity risks are massive
The following first appeared in the Globe and Mail on January 28, 2025. If you set out to intentionally design a perfect target for a cyberattack, you couldn’t do much better than the Liberal Party of Canada’s leadership contest now underway. Foreign adversaries like Russia and China are well incentivized to try: The political impact of a well-organized ransomware attack […]
Purse & Mathieson: Canadian cities are only one cyberattack away from catastrophe
The following first appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on January 20, 2025. It’s not about if but when a cyberattack will occur. Provincial and federal governments must create a strong municipal cybersecurity action plan to protect critical infrastructure. Cyberattacks against Canadian municipalities are increasing and directly affecting the lives of millions of Canadians. While federal […]
AI may be a powerful tool, but it’s no substitute for cyber experts
The following first appeared in The Toronto Star on September 14, 2024. This is the year for artificial intelligence (AI) integration — it’s now embedded in nearly everything we do. AI systems increasingly control our environment through IoT devices and beyond. IoT devices connect our physical environments to the digital world, and more than 15 […]
What Scarlett Johansson can teach us about taking on AI
Social media platforms facilitate the spread of fake content online. The proposed Online Harms Act lays out new responsibilities for these platforms to mitigate the spread of illegal content from hate speech to incitement of violence or terrorism, to intimate image abuse, child cyberbullying and inducing self-harm.
Elevating Women in Leadership: An Allyship Guide for Men
True allyship is not passive support. It involves actively promoting and amplifying the voices and ideas of women and intentionally supporting their career growth and development. This can include mentorship and sponsorship, but it’s also about purposefully creating opportunities for women to have the spotlight to showcase their skills and expertise.
Autonomous fleets are almost here. Are they safe from cyberattacks?
The following op-ed first appeared in Newsweek on October 9, 2023. As our society transforms into a more connected world, an essential component of this shift is the need for safe and secure driving experiences on our roads. The recent hacking of a Tesla in under two minutes by France security firm Synacktiv demonstrates how serious a […]
Quebec’s new Law 25 is the toughest privacy legislation in Canada. Here’s why it matters.
The following op-ed first appeared in the Toronto Star on October 7, 2023. Although still behind the EU, Quebec is miles ahead of the rest of Canada when it comes to privacy and data legislation. The second wave of Quebec’s Law 25 took effect on Sept. 22. and is the most significant corporate privacy legislation in the […]
Purse: Quantum technology will be here soon, but are we ready for it?
The following op-ed first appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on October 4, 2023. Within the next five to 25 years, quantum computing will be commercially available. All the big tech players, from Google and Microsoft to IBM and Amazon, are currently developing their own quantum technologies to prepare for this impending quantum boom. Canadian businesses […]
Canada needs rules for internet-connected devices
The following op-ed was written by Catalyst founding executive director, Charles Finlay, and David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security (an alum of the Catalyst’s Cyber Accelerator program), and was first published in the The Globe and Mail on July 31, 2023. Our world is increasingly crowded with billions of internet-connected devices. Your car, your baby monitor, even […]
Regulate artificial intelligence — before it’s too late
The following op-ed was written by Dr. Jeff Schwartzentruber, an industry fellow with the Catalyst Fellowship Program, and was first published in the National Post on July 7, 2023. We’re spanning the gap from weak to strong AI — and we’re outpacing ourselves. The Collision tech conference that took place in Toronto last week was […]
