Virtual town hall series addresses cybersecurity threats during COVID-19 pandemic
A new series of virtual town halls run by Ryerson University is addressing cybersecurity threats and digital privacy issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The weekly events have been developed as a collaboration between the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and the Ryerson Leadership Lab, and are supported by RBC.
The series, called Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy in the Time of COVID-19, is open to the public, with all events streamed live and available to watch online afterwards. The next town hall, on Thursday, April 30 at 4 p.m., will see a panel of experts discuss the ways in which criminals are exploiting the global crisis by targeting Canada’s health care sector. Panelists include Michèle Mullen, director general of Partnerships and Risk Mitigation at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Russell Rice, vice president product strategy at Ordr, and Mary Jane Dykeman, partner and co-founder of INQ Data Law.
"The world has changed for everyone in the last four weeks,” said Charles Finlay, executive director of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. “From rapid needs for digital transformation, to contact tracing of citizens, government surveillance and the growing digital divide, new concerns have risen to the surface.
“In an effort to contribute to these very important discussions, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, the Ryerson Leadership Lab and RBC have established this weekly series of virtual town halls. Our hope is to engage audiences and cross-disciplinary thought leaders in a conversation that will end with a look forward at solutions that we can adopt quickly.”
On Tuesday, May 5, the discussion topic will be the security and privacy of education technology. The speakers will include Globe and Mail education reporter Caroline Alphonso, and Jeremy Auger, D2L chief strategy officer and a member of the Future Skills Council.
The following week, on Tuesday, May 12, the expert panel will talk about how the pandemic has exacerbated challenges linked to the digital divide, and the gap between those who have access to online services and those who do not. Speakers for this and other future events will be announced in due course.
To date, discussions in the series have explored risks facing ordinary Canadians during the pandemic and COVID-19 contact tracing. Panelists provided insights on key issues, answered questions from the audience and proposed possible solutions.
High-profile guests from the world of cybersecurity have included renowned cybersecurity expert Ira Goldstein, INQ Data Law co-founder Carole Piovesan, Starman Cybersecurity chief executive Jordan Kendall, and Brenda McPhail, director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Privacy, Surveillance, and Technology Project.
Panelists have also included Murad Hemmadi, reporter at The Logic, Centre for International Governance Innovation senior fellow Bianca Wylie, and professor Richard Lachman of the RTA School of Media at Ryerson.
The town hall series is part of a wider initiative called the Cybersecure Policy Exchange, which is being launched by the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Ryerson Leadership Lab and RBC in summer 2020. The initiative aims to advance effective and innovative public policy in cybersecurity and digital privacy.
Register for the town halls and find out more (external link)
Watch previous events from the town hall series (external link)