Stories by Austin Blake

A recent privacy breach affecting Rogers customers in the Niagara region has triggered sharp criticism from The Canadian Internet Society, which says the incident is more than a technical hiccup—it’s a breakdown in trust. Some Rogers customers reportedly found themselves connected to private calls between strangers, with conversations including personal and medical details. In a...

Instagram has introduced a major restriction to its livestreaming feature: users now need at least 1,000 followers and a public profile to go live. The update was confirmed by Instagram to TechCrunch. Previously, anyone on the app—regardless of follower count or account privacy—could start a live video. Now, users who don’t meet the new criteria...

Two new cell towers are coming to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, B.C., despite concerns from nearby residents about health and proximity to homes. Telus plans to install two 15.7-metre antenna poles that double as streetlights on Shepherd Ave, just before Fifth St. in the Harewood neighbourhood. Nanaimo City Council approved a licensing deal at a...

If you’re looking to get support from Bell, don’t @ them anymore on X. According to Bell today, it says it’s now “unable to offer customer support on Twitter/X”. Bell blamed it on "technical issues with our social listening provider.” A social listening provider is a company that offers software or services to monitor and...

Google has rolled out its new “Deep Think” AI feature inside the Gemini app, but only for those subscribed to its top-tier AI Ultra plan—which costs around $339.99 a month in Canada. Deep Think is designed to take more time thinking through complex problems using a technique Google calls “parallel thinking.” Basically, it brainstorms multiple...

Telus is spinning off its cell tower business in a major deal with one of Canada’s biggest pension funds. The company announced it’s selling a 49.9% stake in its new tower operator, called Terrion, to La Caisse (CDPQ) for $1.26 billion. Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, is a Montreal-based Canadian pension fund manager...

SaskTel says it’s extending support measures for customers affected by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan. The move comes as evacuations continue across the region. Residents from evacuated communities will not be charged for wireless data overages, and those with SaskTel Internet, maxTV Stream, or Home Phone services will see those charges credited. The support is now...

Paramount+ has announced that Tulsa King will return for Season 3 on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Starring Sylvester Stallone, the crime drama was Paramount+'s top original series globally in 2024. The second season's premiere drew 21.1 million global viewers, setting a platform record. According to the company, it also saw a major jump in engagement...

Bell is publicly pushing back against Telus’ lobbying efforts to keep accessing competitors’ broadband networks instead of investing in its own. In a pair of posts on X, Bell highlighted recent comments from two analyst reports questioning Telus' strategy in Ontario and Quebec. Bell quoted a July 28 report from National Bank of Canada that...

The Ontario government has officially cancelled its $100 million internet deal with SpaceX's Starlink, according to Global News. The plan was originally signed last November to bring satellite internet to about 15,000 homes in northern Ontario. A government spokesperson confirmed the decision in an email, writing: “Our government has cancelled the Starlink contract. We are...

Leaker Evan Blass is at it again, this time sharing more alleged leaks of Google’s marketing images for the upcoming Pixel 10 lineup. Google is set to officially announce its Pixel 10 family at an event next month, but now Blass has shared what claims to be some interesting marketing images and specs. Check them...

Apple’s internal AI division has taken another hit, with a fourth researcher leaving the company in just a month, according to a report from Bloomberg. The latest to exit is Bowen Zhang, who specialized in multimodal AI and was part of Apple’s foundation models group, the team behind Apple Intelligence. Zhang is reportedly joining Meta’s...