China wrote the playbook on AI surveillance. Will Canada adopt the playbook?

Todayville

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3 months ago

7 minute read

This article supplied by Troy Media.

By Perry Kinkaide

China is an example of AI surveillance in action. Canada should take that as a warning, not a blueprint

China shows what happens when artificial intelligence is weaponized by the state.

Its Social Credit System, a nationwide framework to rate the “trustworthiness” of citizens and businesses, decides whether people can get a loan, buy a home, travel abroad or even move freely inside the country by merging financial records, online activity, travel history and facial recognition data into one algorithmic profile.

Sold as a way to curb fraud and tax evasion, it quickly became a tool to track political loyalty and personal behaviour the state doesn’t like. Step out of line, and the system punishes you.

Canadians should treat China’s misuse of AI as a warning. AI is advancing so fast that, without strict limits, we could slide into a similar dystopian future—one where governments promise efficiency and safety but use technology to tighten control over everyday life.

It wouldn’t take much for such a system to take root here. The data, the technology and the surveillance tools already exist. All that’s missing is the
decision to connect them.

Canadian governments have already shown they are willing to impose sweeping controls and restrict freedoms when faced with dissent or crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act—a law that grants Ottawa extraordinary temporary powers, including the ability to freeze bank accounts and bypass normal parliamentary debate—to limit movement in response to protests. Across Canada, governments closed businesses, banned gatherings, restricted travel within and outside the country, and introduced vaccine passport systems that
restricted access to certain public spaces.

Now imagine those same powers supercharged by AI—able to track, predict and act in real time, with decisions automated and enforcement instant. What used to be broad and temporary restrictions could become precise, ongoing controls that are almost impossible to resist.

A Canadian version of China’s Social Credit System could link tax filings, health records, driver’s licences, transit passes, social media accounts and other personal data. When once-separate databases are linked, previously separate pieces of information combine into a detailed profile, making it far easier to monitor, predict and restrict a person’s actions. With that much linked information, governments wouldn’t just know what you’ve done—they could control what you’re allowed to do next. That’s not a distant, sci-fi scenario.

This is why regulation matters—but Canada’s current plan falls short. The proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), part of Bill C-27, is meant to be Canada’s first law governing artificial intelligence systems that could have major impacts on people’s lives. These so-called “high-impact” systems include AI used in areas like health care, hiring, law enforcement, credit scoring and critical infrastructure—technologies where errors, bias or abuse could have serious consequences.

On paper, AIDA would regulate these systems, require risk assessments and keep humans in the loop for key decisions. But with its narrow scope, weak enforcement powers and a rollout that could take years before its rules are fully in force, it risks becoming a safety net with a hole in the middle, in effect more about managing political optics than preventing abuse.

AI surveillance is no longer a future threat—it’s already here. It combines cameras, sensors and massive databases to track people in real time, often without their knowledge or consent. It can predict behaviour, automate decisions and enforce rules instantly. Mustafa Suleyman, in The Coming Wave, warns that AI must be contained before it becomes uncontrollable. Shoshana Zuboff, in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, reaches the same conclusion: AI is tailor-made for mass monitoring, and once embedded, these systems are almost impossible to dismantle.

Some insist that slowing AI’s development would be pointless, that other nations and corporations would race ahead. But that argument is dangerously naive. History shows that once governments and corporations gain powerful surveillance tools, they don’t give them up—they expand their reach, change their purpose and tighten their grip.

China’s example proves the point. The Social Credit System was never just about unpaid debts or tax evasion. Its real purpose has always been to track people and control their behaviour. Today, it measures political loyalty as much as financial reliability, punishing citizens for anything from joining a protest to criticizing the government online. Jobs, housing, education and even the right to travel can be revoked with a few keystrokes. Once a government is allowed to define “public good” and enforce it algorithmically, freedom becomes a privilege—granted or taken away at will.

Yes, AI-driven surveillance can catch criminals, detect threats and manage crises. But those benefits come at a cost. Once such a system is in place, it rarely returns to its original purpose. It finds new uses, and it becomes permanent.

The choice for Canadians is clear: demand enforceable laws, transparent oversight and real accountability now—before it’s too late.

Dr. Perry Kinkaide is a visionary leader and change agent. Since retiring in 2001, he has served as an advisor and director for various organizations and founded the Alberta Council of Technologies Society in 2005. Previously, he held leadership roles at KPMG Consulting and the Alberta Government. He holds a BA from Colgate University and an MSc and PhD in Brain Research from the University of Alberta.

Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country

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Artificial Intelligence

Lawsuit Claims Google Secretly Used Gemini AI to Scan Private Gmail and Chat Data

Published on November 19, 2025

Todayville

By Ken Macon

Whether the claims are true or not, privacy in Google’s universe has long been less a right than a nostalgic illusion.

When Google flipped a digital switch in October 2025, few users noticed anything unusual.

Gmail loaded as usual, Chat messages zipped across screens, and Meet calls continued without interruption.

Yet, according to a new class action lawsuit, something significant had changed beneath the surface.

We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.

Plaintiffs claim that Google silently activated its artificial intelligence system, Gemini, across its communication platforms, turning private conversations into raw material for machine analysis.

The lawsuit, filed by Thomas Thele and Melo Porter, describes a scenario that reads like a breach of trust.

It accuses Google of enabling Gemini to “access and exploit the entire recorded history of its users’ private communications, including literally every email and attachment sent and received.”

The filing argues that the company’s conduct “violates its users’ reasonable expectations of privacy.”

Until early October, Gemini’s data processing was supposedly available only to those who opted in.

Then, the plaintiffs claim, Google “turned it on for everyone by default,” allowing the system to mine the contents of emails, attachments, and conversations across Gmail, Chat, and Meet.

The complaint points to a particular line in Google’s settings, “When you turn this setting on, you agree,” as misleading, since the feature “had already been switched on.”

This, according to the filing, represents a deliberate misdirection designed to create the illusion of consent where none existed.

There is a certain irony woven through the outrage. For all the noise about privacy, most users long ago accepted the quiet trade that powers Google’s empire.

They search, share, and store their digital lives inside Google’s ecosystem, knowing the company thrives on data.

The lawsuit may sound shocking, but for many, it simply exposes what has been implicit all along: if you live in Google’s world, privacy has already been priced into the convenience.

Thele warns that Gemini’s access could expose “financial information and records, employment information and records, religious affiliations and activities, political affiliations and activities, medical care and records, the identities of his family, friends, and other contacts, social habits and activities, eating habits, shopping habits, exercise habits, [and] the extent to which he is involved in the activities of his children.”

In other words, the system’s reach, if the allegations prove true, could extend into nearly every aspect of a user’s personal life.

The plaintiffs argue that Gemini’s analytical capabilities allow Google to “cross-reference and conduct unlimited analysis toward unmerited, improper, and monetizable insights” about users’ private relationships and behaviors.

The complaint brands the company’s actions as “deceptive and unethical,” claiming Google “surreptitiously turned on this AI tracking ‘feature’ without informing or obtaining the consent of Plaintiffs and Class Members.” Such conduct, it says, is “highly offensive” and “defies social norms.”

The case invokes a formidable set of statutes, including the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, the Stored Communications Act, and California’s constitutional right to privacy.

Google is yet to comment on the filing.

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Alberta

Alberta Offers Enormous Advantages for AI Data Centres

Published on November 17, 2025

Todayville

Fr0m Energy Now

By Yogi Schulz

Alberta offers significant advantages compared to other jurisdictions in the competitive race to attract AI data centres. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith clearly understands the opportunity. She has charged Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish and Finance Minister Nate Horner to complete and publicly announce the province’s AI data centre attraction strategy. Please lobby your Member of the Legislative Assembly to express your support for realizing this economic development opportunity.

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How big is the opportunity?

Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft are investing hundreds of billions in AI data centers. Their 2025 capital expenditures are expected to total roughly $370 billion, and they anticipate this number will continue to rise in 2026. Smaller AI software companies, cloud service providers, and their suppliers are also making multi-billion-dollar investments. Some commentators are projecting that the AI boom will trigger trillions of dollars in capital investment.

Source: Big tech 2025 capex may hit $200 billion as gen-AI demand booms, Bloomberg Intelligence, October 4, 2024

In a recent call with analysts, Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler asked whether Microsoft was spending into a bubble. Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood responded that AI-related demand still outpaces Microsoft’s spending. “I thought we were going to catch up. We are not,” she said.

Here’s a summary of the advantages that attract AI data centres to Alberta. Turning these advantages into reality can bring prosperity to all Albertans.

Alberta natural gas

Alberta has extensive natural gas reserves. The Alberta Energy Regulator’s updated natural gas reserves for 2025 have nearly doubled Alberta’s natural gas reserves to 130 trillion cubic feet, moving Canada from 15^th to 9^th place globally among producing nations. The advantage is that AI data centre proponents will have access to cheap, reliable natural gas for electricity generation for decades to come.

Source: Alberta Energy Outlook (ST98), AER, March 2025

Alberta electricity

Alberta is the only province with investor-owned electricity generation and transmission. The advantage is that AI data centre proponents don’t have to deal with slow-moving government-owned monopolies to purchase electricity and attach their data centres to the electricity distribution grid.

Source: Varcoe: Threat of system shock remains for Alberta electricity market, with ‘hurricane brewing’ amid current calm, Calgary Herald, March 28, 2025

The Alberta government announced that it will fast-track AI data centre projects that include “bring your own power” generation projects. Many AI data centre proponents are happy to make that investment because it will give them:

The high 24/7/365 availability they need.
Control over energy costs.
Compressed permitting and construction timelines.

The “bring your own power” approach also addresses the consumer concern about the potential impact on electricity prices that an AI data centre might have.

Alberta infrastructure

Alberta operates a well-developed infrastructure consisting of:

Excellent roads.
Widely available high-speed telecom.
Many airports, some with excellent international connections.
Low road congestion compared to most other jurisdictions.
Lots of cheap land, unlike parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Lower Mainland.
Reliable utilities.

The advantage is that AI data centre proponents don’t have to build their own infrastructure before they can start an AI data centre.

Alberta business environment

Alberta operates a business-friendly environment consisting of:

A pro-business, pro-investment government attitude, unlike some other provinces.
A well-defined, predictable regulatory environment.
An entrepreneurial business community.
A pro-economic growth mindset among Albertans.
Modest business taxes.

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit, April 18, 2023

The advantage of the Alberta business environment is that proponents of AI data centres are welcomed, thereby avoiding the risks and impediments found in other jurisdictions.

The Alberta advantage

The many Alberta advantages compared to other jurisdictions that are competing against Alberta for AI data centres include:

Presence of multiple, credible post-secondary education institutions.
A significant population with advanced degrees.
A substantial community of experienced information technology professionals.
Close to the USA and in an easily managed time zone.
The rule of law.
A culture of respect and acceptance.
Use of the English language with few accents.
Proximity to many outdoor amenities, such as the Rocky Mountains.
A well-functioning province with reliable utilities, superior transportation alternatives, clean air, affordable schools, and low crime.
Immediate access to superior health care.
Affordable housing and land prices compared to other major cities.
Availability of first-class office space at a low rental cost.
Availability of a wide range of cultural amenities.

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit, December 14, 2023

The benefits of the Alberta advantage for the staff of AI data centre proponents are the high livability values.

Alberta’s superior natural gas

Natural gas customers, including AI data centres, prefer to buy from Alberta because of our:

High ESG rating, including low GHG emissions.
Competitive prices.
Reliable delivery performance.
Predictable regulatory framework.
Rule of law to resolve disputes.

Source: Canada’s Oil Industry Leads the World in ESG – But What Does That Mean?, November 4, 2021, EnergyNow Media

Superior natural gas enables AI data centre proponents to demonstrate their environmental consciousness.

Alberta climate

The advantage of the colder climate and ample water resources in Northern Alberta is that AI data centre proponents can reduce their cooling costs.

Alberta faces a critical decision window. Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and others are committing hundreds of billions to building AI data centres. Jurisdictions that move the fastest on permitting, land assembly, and electricity infrastructure will capture the first wave of investment. Alberta’s multiple advantages, including low-cost energy, private electricity markets, abundant land, and regulatory predictability, position it to be a first-tier competitor. Will policymakers execute the attraction strategy at the speed these tech giants demand? Jurisdictions that hesitate will find themselves competing for second-tier projects within an estimated 18 months.

Yogi Schulz has over 40 years of experience in information technology in various industries. He writes for Engineering.com, EnergyNow.ca, EnergyNow.com and other trade publications. Yogi works extensively in the petroleum industry to select and implement financial, production revenue accounting, land & contracts, and geotechnical systems. He manages projects that arise from changes in business requirements, the need to leverage technology opportunities, and mergers. His specialties include IT strategy, web strategy, and systems project management.