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Blayne Haggart

Associate Professor of Political Science, Brock University

I am an Associate Professor of Political Science at Brock University in St. Catharines. I hold a PhD in Political Science with a specialisation in political economy from Carleton University. Prior to my academic career, I worked as a journalist with the social justice-focused newspaper Catholic New Times, and as an economist with the Canadian Parliamentary Information and Research Service (roughly equivalent to the US Congressional Research Service), serving on various parliamentary committees, including Finance and Foreign Affairs and International Trade. My current work focuses on copyright politics and the long-term viability of online social movements. My book, Copyfight: The Global Politics of Digital Copyright Reform, was published in 2014 by University of Toronto Press. I also teach in the area of politics and society, focusing on Australian Rules football and (ice) hockey.

What Elon Musk's destruction of Twitter tells us about the future of social media

Nov 23, 2022 05:10 am UTC| Insights & Views

Elon Musks purchase of Twitter has been a fast-moving disaster. It has also created a tangible problem for journalists, politicians, activists and academic scholars: Where do we talk to each other if or when Twitter...

Canada's COVID Alert app is a case of tech-driven bad policy design

Aug 14, 2020 15:17 pm UTC| Technology

The July 31 release of Canadas COVID Alert app was greeted with almost universal praise. Privacy experts applauded its strong privacy protections, echoing the official app websites extensive detailing of how your privacy...

It's time for a new way to regulate social media platforms

Jan 20, 2019 09:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

When it came to our online lives, 2018 was revealing in its dysfunction. The just-expired years parade of scandals at Facebook alone was relentless Cambridge Analytica, its inflation of video-viewing stats that have...

Make no mistake: The USMCA is an America-first trade deal

Oct 29, 2018 19:20 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The emerging conventional wisdom around the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) seems to be that its a mediocre deal for Canada, driven by an American president who mostly cares about the agreements...

Why not nationalize Facebook?

Apr 02, 2018 16:46 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

The Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal is fast emerging as a watershed for our increasingly digitized society. For the first time, how to regulate personal data has become a mainstream public issue, so its important that...

Economy

Iran-Israel War Escalates: Long-Range Missiles, Nuclear Site Strikes, and Global Energy Crisis

The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel has reached a dangerous new threshold as Iranian forces deployed long-range ballistic missiles for the first time, signaling a potential threat well beyond the Middle East...

US-Iran War: Trump Eyes Military Exit as Markets React to Potential De-escalation

President Donald Trump signaled that the United States is nearing the end of its military campaign against Iran, stating the offensive has largely achieved its core objectives degrading Tehrans missile capabilities and...

Trump Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz, Threatens Power Grid Strikes

President Donald Trump escalated U.S. military pressure on Iran Saturday, delivering a stark 48-hour ultimatum demanding Tehran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating strikes on the countrys largest power...

Qatar's Economy Under Pressure: How Regional Conflict Could Reshape Global Investment in 2026

Qatars economic outlook for 2026 has taken a concerning turn as escalating geopolitical tensions threaten to destabilize the Gulf nations core revenue streams. According to Dr. Andreas Krieg, a leading regional analyst,...

EA's $15B Debt Offering Draws $25B in Investor Demand Amid Credit Market Turmoil

Investor appetite for large-scale leveraged buyouts remains surprisingly robust, as demand for Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) nearly $15 billion debt package has surged to approximately $25 billion. The offering, led by...

Politics

Trump Threatens ICE Airport Deployment Amid TSA Shutdown Crisis

President Donald Trump escalated tensions with congressional Democrats on Saturday, threatening to station Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at U.S. airports unless lawmakers immediately approve funding for...

Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks Resume in Florida Amid Ongoing Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian and American negotiators resumed high-stakes peace discussions in Florida on Saturday, marking the latest diplomatic effort to bring an end to the devastating four-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The...

Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks in Florida Target Ceasefire Framework and Defense Cooperation

High-stakes diplomatic negotiations between Ukraine and the United States are underway in Florida this weekend, as both nations work toward a structured peace agreement to end the ongoing conflict now entering its fourth...

Robert Mueller, Former FBI Director and Special Counsel, Dies at 81

Robert Mueller, the respected former FBI director who led a landmark investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has passed away at the age of 81. His former law firm, WilmerHale,...

Trump's Shifting War Goals Against Iran: A Timeline of Contradictions

Since launching joint military operations with Israel against Iran on February 28, President Donald Trump and his administration have struggled to maintain a consistent narrative around the conflicts objectives, duration,...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Palantir's Maven AI Earns Pentagon "Program of Record" Status, Reshaping Military AI Strategy

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) is drawing renewed investor and industry attention after the U.S. Department of Defense officially designated its Maven Smart System as a program of record, a classification that...

Amazon's "Transformer" Phone: Can It Succeed Where Fire Phone Failed?

Amazon is quietly developing a new smartphone, codenamed Transformer, marking the companys return to mobile hardware more than a decade after its Fire Phone disaster. According to sources familiar with the initiative, the...

Judge Dismisses Sam Altman Sexual Abuse Lawsuit, But Sister Can Refile

A federal judge has dismissed a sexual abuse lawsuit filed against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman by his sister Annie Altman, ruling that the claims were too old to pursue under current law. However, U.S. District Judge Zachary...

Trump White House Unveils National AI Policy Framework for Congress

The Trump administration released a sweeping artificial intelligence policy framework on Friday, urging Congress to establish unified federal legislation that would override fragmented state-level AI regulations across the...

Jeff Bezos Eyes $100 Billion Fund to Transform Manufacturing With AI

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is in early-stage discussions to raise a massive $100 billion investment fund focused on acquiring manufacturing companies and accelerating their automation through artificial intelligence. The...