Microsoft blamed as Quebec's SAAQ service centres shut down amid major IT outage
Live Events
Political backlash mounts over Quebec's digital failures
SAAQ promises fix, says no personal data breached
SAAQclic still under scrutiny amid renewed outage
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
A critical IT failure linked to Microsoft servers has forced the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to shut down all its service centres for a second day, triggering a wave of political scrutiny and public inconvenience.The outage began at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 affecting a suite of backend servers essential to various SAAQ operations, including its controversial online platform, SAAQclic. While the SAAQclic system itself remains 'functional,' users are currently unable to access it.Also read: EU power grid needs trillion-dollar upgrade to avert Spain-style blackouts "It's totally unacceptable, but it's not SAAQClic, it's Microsoft,' said Gilles Bélanger, Minister of Cybersecurity and the Digital Economy, in a media scrum Wednesday morning, May 7. Bélanger, who inherited the portfolio following the resignation of Éric Caire amid the SAAQclic debacle, added, 'I'm following the situation very closely.'As a result of the outage, all SAAQ service centres were closed Wednesday, except for those conducting practical driving tests. The SAAQ confirmed that clients with other types of appointments would be contacted for rescheduling 'in the coming days.'Although the government insists Microsoft is at fault, the incident quickly reignited criticism over the province's broader digital infrastructure strategy, particularly the SAAQclic project, which was launched with a price tag that ballooned by $500 million and led to widespread service disruptions in 2023.'It's a fiasco!' said Marc Tanguay, interim leader of the Liberal opposition, during a Wednesday news briefing. 'At what point does the Minister (of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault) become responsible?'Also read: Microsoft down! Massive outage strands users without email, apps Quebec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard said Quebecers had 'overpaid hundreds of millions for a project that probably doesn't work,' while Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Paradis called the situation 'very embarrassing' for the government. Paradis also stressed the 'real impact' on citizens and reiterated his party's call for an inquiry into all provincial IT contracts.Despite the SAAQ outage being blamed on Microsoft, the incident is deepening public skepticism about Quebec's digital governance and accountability.In an official statement, the SAAQ confirmed the outage was related to several Microsoft-managed servers, which support key services. The organization emphasized that 'our teams and those at Microsoft are fully mobilized and working tirelessly to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.'Also read: X Global Outage: Is it restored? What we know so far Importantly, the SAAQ reassured citizens that no personal data has been compromised as a result of the technical failure.Gino Desrosiers, a spokesperson for the SAAQ, said clients with canceled appointments would be offered alternatives. 'We're going to offer alternatives to minimize the inconvenience on our clientele,' Desrosiers told Radio-Canada.The board has not specified when services will resume or what the root cause of the Microsoft server issue is.The SAAQclic platform, which was intended to modernize how Quebecers interact with the SAAQ, has been marred by a series of setbacks since its troubled launch in 2023. Despite Bélanger's assertion that the platform itself is not to blame this time, the outage is reinforcing public distrust toward the government's digital shift.A public commission of inquiry is already examining the SAAQclic rollout, particularly its massive cost overruns and usability issues. The current outage, though technically unrelated, comes at a time when Quebec's digital ambitions are under a microscope.Also read: WhatsApp faces outage for the second time, netizens react While practical driving tests continue, all theoretical exams and in-person services are suspended indefinitely. The SAAQ said it will provide updates as soon as the issue is resolved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
AI investments failing? 95 per cent of firms see no returns, says MIT
Major IT firms like Microsoft, Google and others are laying off people left and right and replacing them with AI to maximise profit, but a new study suggests that nearly 95 per cent of companies which attempted to incorporate generative AI into their workflow are seeing zero returns. According to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology titled 'The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025', U.S.-based firms that have invested somewhere between $35 billion to $40 billion in generative AI are seeing little to no measurable impact on their profit or loss. The research, which included 150 interviews with AI leaders, an examination of 300 AI applications, and a survey of 350 employees at different organisations, found that the majority of AI pilot programs failed to meet their targets because of 'brittle workflows, lack of contextual learning, and misalignment with day-to-day operations.' And while AI did work for back office tasks like administrative and repetitive functions, more than half of the money spent on AI was spent on sales and marketing and failed, two areas where researchers say human involvement is still required. In a statement to Fortune, Aditya Challlapally, the lead author of the report, said that while some companies 'have seen revenues jump from zero to $20 million in a year', the majority of organisations are having a hard time as there is a huge 'learning gap.' Despite executives blaming regulations and model performance, the study revealed that the problem lay in the flawed enterprise integration of AI tools. Researchers also noted that consumer-centric AI chatbots like ChatGPT often stalled and had little to no impact on the output. The major difference between companies that successfully used AI to drive growth and those that didn't lies in the adoption and implementation of the technology. Firms that purchased AI tools from specialised vendors succeeded around 67 per cent of the time, while companies that developed in-house products saw a success of just 33 per cent. MIT's new study also shows that companies that went solo had higher failure rates than those that purchased customised solutions. Also, it was noted that managers, driving adoption and using tools that adapt over time, helped drive growth and productivity. The study also highlights how companies are trying out agentic AI systems to learn, remember and perform certain actions, giving us a glimpse of how enterprise AI will evolve over time.
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Microsoft boss warns of ‘AI psychosis' as users blur reality: What you need to know before trusting your AI companion
As artificial intelligence becomes part of daily life, a new risk is emerging. Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman recently voiced his concerns about 'AI psychosis' on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting a mental health threat few had anticipated. According to Suleyman, there is growing evidence that some people are losing touch with reality when interacting with advanced chatbots, mistaking them for sentient beings or close companions. AI psychosis is under scrutiny after stories of users losing touch with reality through chatbots.(AI generated) How AI psychosis is unfolding BBC has documented real cases where people's connection to reality became dangerously blurred after using AI chatbots. One man from Scotland, called Hugh, shared his experience after using ChatGPT to get career advice. The chatbot not only validated his feelings but encouraged unrealistic beliefs, including a rapid path to fame and financial success. The constant validation led Hugh into deeper confusion, requiring professional help before he recognised what had happened. He told the BBC that, while AI tools can be useful, they become dangerous when people start to rely solely on them and drift away from reality. Individuals risk developing intense emotional attachments or falling into delusional thinking after spending long hours with AI chatbots. These accounts highlight a psychological risk that mental health professionals should not ignore. As AI-powered chatbots become more convincing and pervasive, they have the potential to amplify people's existing worries, support unrealistic beliefs or provide a false sense of companionship. The concern is not restricted to a handful of vulnerable users; given the widespread adoption of such technology, even a small percentage of affected individuals could amount to a significant public health challenge. As society rapidly weaves these digital agents into everything from personal advice to workplace routines, it becomes vital to acknowledge the genuine mental pressure that can come from sustained, emotionally charged interactions with non-human entities. The quality of our psychological and social 'diet,' much like our food intake, now relies just as much on the company we keep, real or virtual. Regular self-reflection, consistent engagement with real-life relationships and a healthy scepticism towards AI's abilities will be crucial in maintaining mental well-being. Why concern is widespread Mustafa Suleyman, on X, cautioned that there is 'zero evidence of AI consciousness today.' He warned that simply perceiving AI as conscious puts users at risk of believing that illusion. Suleyman called out companies for suggesting their AI is sentient, arguing that both developers and the AI itself should never promote this idea. Medical and academic voices echo his warning. Some doctors may soon routinely ask about patients' AI usage in mental health checkups. Public surveys cited by BBC show people are wary of AI passing as real humans, even though many are comfortable with lifelike voices. However, it's important to remember that chatbots may seem convincing but cannot truly feel, understand, or care in human ways. While these tools can be helpful, turning to family, friends, or real-world support remains essential when navigating emotional challenges.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Who Is Gaurav Trivedi And What Is Windows Defender Security Center Scam?
Windows Defender Security Center popup is a fake message that forces victims to call 'Microsoft'. What to do when you receive this popup? NanoBaiter, who tracks down online scammers, recently shared a story about a man named Gaurav Trivedi who allegedly tried to scam him. According to NanoBaiter, Trivedi was a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli, and he operated his 'scam center" from his apartment complex. 'Meet Gaurav Trivedi, an Indian scammer who impersonates Microsoft support and then rips off innocent vulnerable people," NanoBaiter wrote in his viral X thread that has been viewed by nearly 35 million people on the platform. Here's the story of the alleged scammer and how you can help protect your vulnerable family members from the common 'Windows Defender Security Center" scam. In his introductory post, NanoBaiter alleged that a man named Gaurav Trivedi tried to scam him but ended up being baited instead. 'He tried to scam me……but instead of paying him money, I hacked into his laptop and turned on his live webcam feed," NanoBaiter wrote. NanoBaiter claimed that Trivedi ran a fairly common Windows support scam that involved a fake pop-up message that locked the desktop screen, blared a loud alarm, and instructed the victim to immediately call the 'Microsoft" number to 'save" all the data on the system. NanoBaiter, in his X thread, shared the primary goal behind the scam: to trick the victim into giving remote access of their system to the scammer. To achieve this, the scammer running the Windows pop-up scam made the victims download AnyDesk or TeamViewer programs to access their systems remotely. Although there exist several variations to the Windows scam, the primary goal of scammers is to make money. They would steal or delete the victim's data and convince them that their data would be restored if they opted for the 'service package" provided by the 'Microsoft engineer" they just called. These scammers also maintained an Excel sheet of the most gullible or vulnerable callers who were tricked into opting for a quarterly or yearly 'service package". This enabled the scam to continue. NanoBaiter Strikes Back NanoBaiter, who 'scams" scammers for a living and documents the satisfying journey on his YouTube channel with over 600K subscribers, allowed Trivedi to access his virtual Microsoft machine, tricking the alleged scammer into believing that they had a new bait in their net. However, NanoBaiter reversed the remote access and accessed the purported scammer's system. 6/ I basically got a front-row seat to his life, watching him eat, sleep, and then scam innocent people… all through his webcam. — NanoBaiter (@NanoBaiter) August 19, 2025 This was when NanoBaiter claimed that he identified the man as Gaurav Trivedi. The YouTuber, once inside the scammer's system, accessed Trivedi's webcam to snap a photo of him. Then, he saw the real name of the scammer on the softphone dialer. A Softphone dialer is an application that allows users to make or receive phone calls via the Internet. Identifying the location of Trivedi's 'scam center" was NanoBaiter's third step. '1. I accessed his webcam and snapped a clear shot of his face. 2. He pulled up the softphone dialer and boom, his real name appeared on the screen: Gaurav Trivedi. 3. The wifi card on his laptop was active, letting me trace his exact location." A Stern Warning The online vigilante shared the exact coordinates of Trivedi and had the front row seats to the alleged scammer's life as he watched him eat, sleep, and exist in his house. NanoBaiter did confront Trivedi at one point, who quickly ducked and left the frame when called out. All of this was recorded by the YouTuber who shared all the clippings from his interaction with Trivedi. Got The Windows Pop-up? Jim Browning, Kitboga, Scammer Payback, Tekkitrealm, among many others, enjoy a huge following on YouTube where they educate the public about the most common scams that exist in the wild and document their 'scamming the scammers" journey. This, by far and large, is a very niche community. So what do you do when you are bombarded with loud notifications and Microsoft Defender pop-ups? The pop-up, according to Microsoft forums, appeared after a user clicked on an unsafe website that was riddled with malware. (Photo by u/TheTekTyrant | Reddit) The pop-up blocked the use of the cursor, leaving the user anxious and concerned that they were under an attack that required immediate attention from an expert. A user on Reddit noted that the easiest way out of this was to either force restart your system or press the Escape (ESC) key to close the pop-up window, which, in reality, was a website. Another alternative was to press the 'Ctrl + Alt + Delete" keys simultaneously, which opened the Windows Security screen from where the user could then restart their system. top videos View all Additionally, Microsoft never explicitly gave out a number to call them. NanoBaiter, in his concluding post on X, tagged the Raebareli Police and urged them to take action against the alleged scammer. He further wrote that such scammers ruined the lives of people, and they needed to be stopped. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : scammer view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 21, 2025, 10:53 IST News explainers Who Is Gaurav Trivedi And What Is Windows Defender Security Center Scam? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
