Toronto Electricians and Electrical Contractors

Industrial physical infrastructure and the methods for managing industrial assets are transforming before our very eyes. According to IHS Markit , the volume of Cloud/Edge analytics that support manufacturing operations are set to double by 2020 and, by 2030, the installed base of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is projected to exceed 120 billion . Industrial Edge Applications In 2019, technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and video analytics will expand their influence and will help to drive these transformations as more and more “ industrial edge ” applications take root (Industrial Edge enriches industrial automation through live and constantly available data and analytics, to drive operations more efficiently and effectively). As these technologies proliferate, their business value will manifest itself in multiple ways: Artificial Intelligence (AI) AI combines a set of defined rules, intelligence and information. For example, when data is coming f...

¿El fin de una Internet libre, abierta e inclusiva? Este artículo fue escrito por Edison Lanza, Relator Especial para la Libertad de Expresión de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. En poco más de 20 años se hizo evidente el potencial de Internet para el ejercicio de las libertades, la educación, el impacto de las redes sociales; y la revolución que supuso para el comercio, el entretenimiento y la innovación. Por supuesto, un cambio de tal naturaleza también entraña desafíos como la diseminación del discurso que incita a la violencia; los riesgos para la privacidad; la necesidad de que toda la humanidad acceda a la red; la difusión de noticias falsas y el papel de las plataformas en la circulación de la información. Con todo, los beneficios e impactos positivos de internet parecían justificar el optimismo respecto a la marcha de la revolución digital. Pero el fin de la historia, ya se sabe, no está a la vuelta de la esquina. El 14 de diciembre de 2017 la administració...

California Senate Rejects License Plate Privacy Shield Bill The California Senate has rejected a bill to allow drivers to protect their privacy by applying shields to their license plates when parked. The simple amendment to state law would have served as a countermeasure against automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that use plates to mine our location data. As is the case with many privacy bills, S.B. 712 had received strong bipartisan support since it was first introduced in early 2017. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Joel Anderson, a prominent conservative Republican from Southern California, and received aye votes from Sens. Nancy Skinner and Scott Wiener, both Democrats representing the Bay Area.   Each recognized that ALPR data represents a serious threat to privacy, since ALPR data can reveal where you live, where you work, where you worship, and where you drop your kids at school. Law enforcement exploits this data with insufficient accountability measures. I...

Code Review Isn’t Evil. Security Through Obscurity Is. On January 25th, Reuters reported that software companies like McAfee, SAP, and Symantec allow Russian authorities to review their source code, and that “this practice potentially jeopardizes the security of computer networks in at least a dozen federal agencies.” The article goes on to explain what source code review looks like and which companies allow source code reviews, and reiterates that “allowing Russia to review the source code may expose unknown vulnerabilities that could be used to undermine U.S. network defenses.” The spin of this article implies that requesting code reviews is malicious behavior. This is simply not the case. Reviewing source code is an extremely common practice conducted by regular companies as well as software and security professionals to ensure certain safety guarantees of the software being installed. The article also notes that “Reuters has not found any instances where a source code revi...

Private Censorship Is Not the Best Way to Fight Hate or Defend Democracy: Here Are Some Better Ideas From Cloudflare’s headline-making takedown of the Daily Stormer last autumn to YouTube’s summer restrictions on LGBTQ content , there’s been a surge in “voluntary” platform censorship. Companies—under pressure from lawmakers, shareholders, and the public alike—have ramped up restrictions on speech, adding new rules , adjusting their still-hidden algorithms and hiring more staff to moderate content. They have banned ads from certain sources and removed “offensive” but legal content . These moves come in the midst of a fierce public debate about what responsibilities platform companies that directly host our speech have to take down—or protect—certain types of expression. And this debate is occurring at a time in which only a few large companies host most of our online speech. Under the First Amendment, intermediaries generally have a right to decide what kinds of expression they...

The UN weather agency recently announced that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere increased at record-breaking speed in 2016, meaning that rapid cuts to CO 2 and other greenhouse gases are now needed to avoid “dangerous temperature increases” by 2100 that would far surpass targets set in the  Paris climate accord . The IEA estimates that buildings currently account for about 33% of global energy use – more than industry or transportation – and 20% of energy-related GHG emissions. By 2050, 66% of the world’s people will be living in cities, consuming over 80% of the world’s electricity. Driven by these trends, your facility team may be facing corporate mandates and government regulations aimed at making your building, campus, or plant more efficient and sustainable. But you’re also likely dealing with higher capital and operational expenditures, and increasingly complex building systems. But there’s cause for optimism. The IFMA estimates that with active controls, a...

As Sri Lanka’s largest hotel and one of the Cinnamon Group’s premiere properties, the five-star Cinnamon Grand Colombo hotel is a bona fide crown jewel in their chain of fourteen high-end properties. This exquisite hotel offers an experience that is a fusion of tropical paradise and metropolitan sophistication. From its 501 beautifully appointed guest rooms to multiple restaurants, event spaces, pools, gyms, and outdoor venues, the Cinnamon Grand Colombo creates moments and memories on a grand scale. But how does a hotel provide outstanding guest experiences while meeting aggressive sustainability goals? A combination of expertise, guaranteed energy savings, and IoT solutions not only met the challenge, but delivered significant results. The Cinnamon Group required measurable energy savings and an ROI of three years with zero disruption to operations. To meet these goals, they partnered with Lanka Energy Conservation (LEC) , an associate company of Perth Eco Power , a provider...

ETICAS Releases First Ever Evaluations of Spanish Internet Companies’ Privacy and Transparency Practices It’s Spain’s turn to take a closer look at the practices of their local Internet companies, and how they treat their customers’ personal data. Spain’s ¿Quien Defiende Tus Datos? ( Who Defends Your Data? ) is a project of ETICAS Foundation , and is part of a region-wide initiative by leading Iberoamerican digital rights groups to shine a light on Internet privacy practices in Iberoamerica. The report is based on EFF’s annual Who Has Your Back ? report, but adapted to local laws and realities (A few months ago Brazil’s Internet Lab , Colombia’s Karisma Foundation , Paraguay’s TEDIC , and Chile’s Derechos Digitales published their own 2017 reports, and Argentinean digital rights group ADC will be releasing a similar study this year). ETICAS surveyed a total of nine Internet companies. These companies’ logs hold intimate records of the movements and relationships of the ...