Anglais

CSIS sees ‘significant’ jump in far-right activity online

Published

6 années ago

octobre 9, 2018

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In a three-part series, the Star looks at the rise of white nationalist and right-wing extremist groups in Canada, and what authorities are doing to identify and suppress these threats. This is part 3. To read the first part, click here and to read the second part, click here.

OTTAWA—One month after the deadly shooting rampage at the Grande mosquée de Québec, Canada’s spy agency quietly put together a “preliminary assessment” of the threat far-right extremists pose in Canada.

The report, heavily censored and stamped “SECRET,” noted right-wing extremism and violence is nothing new in Canada — in fact, it was present in the earliest days of colonization.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) traces far-right violence back to race riots in Nova Scotia in the 1780s, racial segregation in Ontario schools in the 1840s and violence against Chinese and Japanese immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, “not to mention” generations of discrimination against Indigenous peoples.

“At the heart of all right-wing extremism is hatred and fear,” CSIS wrote in an analysis obtained by the Star under access to information law.

The attack at the Quebec mosque in January 2017, which left six people dead and many others injured, prompted CSIS to reopen an ongoing investigation into far-right extremism, just one year after declaring the far right a “public order threat” to be dealt with by police, rather than a national security threat to be handled by intelligence agencies.

The agency’s assessment recognizes that Canada’s far-right movement is changing. Hate crimes have been steadily rising, primarily targeting Jewish and Muslim communities. While many of the far-right groups identified by CSIS a decade ago have disbanded, “numerous” incidents of right-wing extremist violence have been recorded since then.

And there has been a “significant growth” of online groups “focusing on a broad range of extreme right-wing positions, including white supremacy.”

CSIS declined multiple interview requests over the past three months, and did not specifically address a number of questions provided by the Star in September.

But the agency’s findings come as little surprise to researchers and experts who have long warned about a more active and emboldened far-right movement in Canada, the United States and Europe.

“There is a misconception that the far right is not a threat anymore, and that these groups don’t have power anymore,” said Ludovica Di Giorgi, an expert on the far right with Moonshot CVE, a U.K.-based counter-extremism and research outfit.

“These groups have influence and the far right is very much a threat still.”

For two weeks in September, Moonshot tracked far-right web searches in Canada using the company’s own proprietary software, which tracks the internet’s seamy underbelly.

The data, provided exclusively to the Star, provides for the first time a quantitative snapshot of online interest in the far right in Canada. The numbers suggest there’s cause for greater attention.

Between Sept. 11 and Sept. 25, Moonshot tracked a total of 5,214 far-right searches in Canada. The vast majority — roughly 88 per cent — focused on neo-Nazi (55 per cent) and white supremacist websites (33 per cent). Search terms included David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States; popular neo-Nazi phrases and code words; extreme right bands; and tattoos of swastikas or other white supremacist imagery.

Over the weeks Moonshot tracked, Ontario had the most far-right searches in Canada relative to the population — almost 18 searches per 100,000 people.

Di Giorgi cautioned that two weeks is a relatively small sample, but said Canada had a higher number of far-right searches per capita over that period than Moonshot typically sees in the U.S.

Even after the deadly violence at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017 brought the far right under mainstream scrutiny, Di Giorgi said right-wing extremist groups have had a largely uncontested platform on the internet.

“On the jihadist side (of extremism), you have no controversy over the fact that their content must be taken down. On the far right, there is controversy over whether that content classifies as content that should be taken down and should not be consumed by audiences across the world,” Di Giorgi told the Star in an interview.

“Their content is still available. It’s easy to find. They still have a presence on social media platforms. They’ve even created their own platforms … They use them to co-ordinate; they use them to organize, to spread their propaganda.

“It becomes even more problematic when these spaces are uncontested.”

What to do about these platforms has become a key question for Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies that, even if they acknowledge the threat right-wing extremism poses, have differing opinions on how to counter it.

James Malizia, the RCMP’s assistant commissioner of federal policing, suggested that encryption — a digital tool that lets citizens, businesses and governments secure their messages, transactions and sensitive data — is also providing cover for extremist groups.

While police agencies have long argued they must be able to bypass encryption, that may be impossible due to the proliferation of sophisticated encryption programs. Civil liberties advocates and technologists have also argued it would make everyone less safe by creating a back door for hackers or hostile governments. But encryption also undoubtedly makes police investigations more complicated.

“I think the issue of online activity, where some of it is either conducted on closed chats or encrypted … it certainly does not allow us the opportunity to be able to monitor what’s going on within those areas,” Malizia told the Star in a recent interview.

Beyond the technical issues is a broader, philosophical question: Do we really want police and intelligence agencies monitoring civilian conversations online? Should far-right — or far-left — groups be subjected to that level of scrutiny, however odious their beliefs?

On the other side of that question is the fact that two of the worst mass killings in recent Canadian history — Alexandre Bissonnette’s attack on the Quebec City mosque, and Alek Minassian’s van rampage in Toronto in April this year — involved some connection to the darker corners of the internet.

Bissonnette’s anti-immigration sentiments appear to have been stoked by far-right figures in the United States. Minassian reportedly identified as “involuntarily celibate,” or “incel,” a misogynistic and nihilistic subculture that lives on the same kind of message boards as the extreme right.

If radicalization is happening in those spaces, and people are being killed as a result, is that not a national security concern?

Canadians “need to think long and hard about what we want our national security services to do in this space,” said Stephanie Carvin, who researches national security and law at Carleton University.

“Because I personally am uncomfortable with CSIS patrolling the internet,” said Carvin, who previously served as a terrorism analyst at CSIS.

“That being said, there is no question that the internet does seem to be a necessary but insufficient ingredient in these radicalization and mobilization-to-violence cases. I think going forward, we need to really think about what are the costs of greater national security (presence) in these spaces.”

Alex Boutilier is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @alexboutilier

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

Published

3 années ago

août 10, 2021

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline.

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors.

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity.

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement.

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level.

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet.

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

Published

3 années ago

juillet 23, 2021

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

Published

3 années ago

juillet 23, 2021

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.