Latest news with #ScottJones
2 days ago
- Business
Government blocked streaming sites for public servants as a 'people management issue,' documents show
Although streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video weren't straining the government's network, federal officials decided to block them because they were perceived to be a people management issue, according to internal documents obtained by CBC News. Last December, the agency responsible for IT services, Shared Services Canada (SSC), blocked access to paid subscription streaming sites, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+ and Crave for 45 government departments and agencies. At the time, a spokesperson for SSC said "streaming services are not considered work tools and offer no business value for the Government of Canada." (new window) Documents released as part of an access to information request provide more insight on how the decision was made. In an October 2024 email, SSC president Scott Jones wrote to officials at the Treasury Board, saying he wanted to raise a couple of issues, including the use of personal phones and streaming services among bureaucrats. He wrote about a recent meeting of deputy ministers, where they discussed the use of streaming services in federal buildings — and voiced his support to block them. While streaming may ultimately impact the bandwidth available to the [Government of Canada], it is also more importantly a people management issue, he wrote. In the current context and with public perception of the public service as it is … there is value in engaging [deputy ministers] on these issues and in committing SSC to take some action. Soon after, SSC moved to block the streaming services. This email and others were obtained via an access to information request made by Matt Malone, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, and shared with CBC News. Thousands of hours of streaming The request, which sought documents detailing the rationale behind the decision to ban streaming services on government networks (new window) , includes a report on traffic to the streaming sites in September 2024, broken down by department. The report shed a more fulsome light into how much streaming was being done on government networks, compared to the agency's official statement when the sites were banned. In a November 2024 statement, Shared Services Canada said that network traffic monitoring shows limited traffic to these sites from government systems. The report on streaming is presented as a bar chart, showing total volume of streaming per terabyte (TB). The amount of data used depends on the quality of video streamed. As an example, Netflix offers four data usage settings (new window) — ranging from low quality to ultra-high definition. If users were streaming on standard definition, one terabyte would equal at least 1,000 hours. If they were streaming on high definition, then one terabyte equals at least 340 hours of video. The departments with the highest streaming included the Department of National Defence at over three terabytes, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) with almost three terabytes and the Privy Council Office with about 1.5 terabytes of volume per month. The report includes the top 10 departments with highest traffic to streaming websites in September 2024, including Global Affairs Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (East), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Canada Revenue Agency and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. All of those departments reported about 0.75 TB of streaming volume in one month. Given the number of civil servants employed by the government, this volume is fairly minimal. For instance, PSPC alone has about 19,000 employees. Cybersecurity expert Eric Parent says the numbers presented just by volume of data don't paint a full picture. The metric we're missing is how many users, how many users are actively on [streaming] and for how long, he said. The report also shows almost 10 TB of streaming done on the federal government's guest Wi-Fi. In a letter to colleagues, a director with SSC said the streaming numbers across the government could have been relatively low in part because they used a program that throttles the speed of streaming to prioritize different internet traffic on government networks. Kate McKenna (new window) · CBC News Kate McKenna is a senior reporter with CBC's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa, where she covers federal politics. She previously worked for CBC's The Fifth Estate and in the Halifax, Montreal and Charlottetown newsrooms. Her investigative and breaking news coverage has won five RTDNA awards. She is the author of No Choice: The 30-Year Fight for Abortion on Prince Edward Island.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government blocked streaming sites for public servants as a 'people management issue,' documents show
Although streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video weren't straining the government's network, federal officials decided to block them because they were perceived to be a "people management" issue, according to internal documents obtained by CBC News. Last December, the agency responsible for IT services, Shared Services Canada (SSC), blocked access to paid subscription streaming sites, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+ and Crave for 45 government departments and agencies. At the time, a spokesperson for SSC said "streaming services are not considered work tools and offer no business value for the Government of Canada." Documents released as part of an access to information request provide more insight on how the decision was made. In an October 2024 email, SSC president Scott Jones wrote to officials at the Treasury Board, saying he wanted to "raise a couple of issues," including the use of personal phones and streaming services among bureaucrats. He wrote about a recent meeting of deputy ministers, where they discussed the use of streaming services in federal buildings — and voiced his support to block them. "While streaming may ultimately impact the bandwidth available to the [Government of Canada], it is also more importantly a people management issue," he wrote. "In the current context and with public perception of the public service as it is … there is value in engaging [deputy ministers] on these issues and in committing SSC to take some action." Soon after, SSC moved to block the streaming services. This email and others were obtained via an access to information request made by Matt Malone, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, and shared with CBC News. Thousands of hours of streaming The request, which sought documents detailing the rationale behind the decision to ban streaming services on government networks, includes a report on traffic to the streaming sites in September 2024, broken down by department. The report shed a more fulsome light into how much streaming was being done on government networks, compared to the agency's official statement when the sites were banned. In a November 2024 statement, Shared Services Canada said that "network traffic monitoring shows limited traffic to these sites from government systems." The report on streaming is presented as a bar chart, showing total volume of streaming per terabyte (TB). The amount of data used depends on the quality of video streamed. As an example, Netflix offers four data usage settings — ranging from low quality to ultra-high definition. If users were streaming on standard definition, one terabyte would equal at least 1,000 hours. If they were streaming on high definition, then one terabyte equals at least 340 hours of video. The departments with the highest streaming included the Department of National Defence at over three terabytes, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) with almost three terabytes and the Privy Council Office with about 1.5 terabytes of volume per month. The report includes the "top 10" departments with highest traffic to streaming websites in September 2024, including Global Affairs Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (East), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Canada Revenue Agency and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. All of those departments reported about 0.75 TB of streaming volume in one month. Given the number of civil servants employed by the government, this volume is fairly minimal. For instance, PSPC alone has about 19,000 employees. Cybersecurity expert Eric Parent says the numbers presented just by volume of data don't paint a full picture. "The metric we're missing is how many users, how many users are actively on [streaming] and for how long," he said. The report also shows almost 10 TB of streaming done on the federal government's guest Wi-Fi. In a letter to colleagues, a director with SSC said the streaming numbers across the government could have been relatively low in part because they used a program that throttles the speed of streaming to prioritize different internet traffic on government networks.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Government blocked streaming sites for public servants as a 'people management issue,' documents show
Social Sharing Although streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video weren't straining the government's network, federal officials decided to block them because they were perceived to be a "people management" issue, according to internal documents obtained by CBC News. Last December, the agency responsible for IT services, Shared Services Canada (SSC), blocked access to paid subscription streaming sites, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+ and Crave for 45 government departments and agencies. At the time, a spokesperson for SSC said "streaming services are not considered work tools and offer no business value for the Government of Canada." Documents released as part of an access to information request provide more insight on how the decision was made. In an October 2024 email, SSC president Scott Jones wrote to officials at the Treasury Board, saying he wanted to "raise a couple of issues," including the use of personal phones and streaming services among bureaucrats. He wrote about a recent meeting of deputy ministers, where they discussed the use of streaming services in federal buildings — and voiced his support to block them. "While streaming may ultimately impact the bandwidth available to the [Government of Canada], it is also more importantly a people management issue," he wrote. "In the current context and with public perception of the public service as it is … there is value in engaging [deputy ministers] on these issues and in committing SSC to take some action." Soon after, SSC moved to block the streaming services. This email and others were obtained via an access to information request made by Matt Malone, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, and shared with CBC News. Thousands of hours of streaming The request, which sought documents detailing the rationale behind the decision to ban streaming services on government networks, includes a report on traffic to the streaming sites in September 2024, broken down by department. The report shed a more fulsome light into how much streaming was being done on government networks, compared to the agency's official statement when the sites were banned. In a November 2024 statement, Shared Services Canada said that "network traffic monitoring shows limited traffic to these sites from government systems." The report on streaming is presented as a bar chart, showing total volume of streaming per terabyte (TB). The amount of data used depends on the quality of video streamed. As an example, Netflix offers four data usage settings — ranging from low quality to ultra-high definition. If users were streaming on standard definition, one terabyte would equal at least 1,000 hours. If they were streaming on high definition, then one terabyte equals at least 340 hours of video. The departments with the highest streaming included the Department of National Defence at over three terabytes, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) with almost three terabytes and the Privy Council Office with about 1.5 terabytes of volume per month. The report includes the "top 10" departments with highest traffic to streaming websites in September 2024, including Global Affairs Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (East), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Canada Revenue Agency and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. All of those departments reported about 0.75 TB of streaming volume in one month. Given the number of civil servants employed by the government, this volume is fairly minimal. For instance, PSPC alone has about 19,000 employees. Cybersecurity expert Eric Parent says the numbers presented just by volume of data don't paint a full picture. "The metric we're missing is how many users, how many users are actively on [streaming] and for how long," he said. The report also shows almost 10 TB of streaming done on the federal government's guest Wi-Fi. In a letter to colleagues, a director with SSC said the streaming numbers across the government could have been relatively low in part because they used a program that throttles the speed of streaming to prioritize different internet traffic on government networks.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- BBC News
Two men admit violent disorder during Rotherham hotel riot
Two men have indicated they are guilty of offences related to major unrest outside a Rotherham hotel housing asylum seekers last Bacon, 18, of Wilkinson Street, Barnsley, appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with violent disorder and Jones, 38, of James Street, Barnsley, appeared at the same court charged with violent men were released on bail and are due to appear for sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on 30 June. During the anti-immigration demonstrations outside the Holiday Inn in Manvers last August, more than 60 police officers were injured after missiles were thrown by a than 90 people have so far been convicted for their part in the rioting. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
West Australian
19-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Small business not convinced there's much in Budget for them but see bigger picture
There was little in the State Budget to excite small business owners with no change in payroll tax and no energy bill credit. Scott Jones has owned Diabolik book and record store in Mount Hawthorn for more than a decade. With this Budget Mr Jones said he was not holding out for much help. 'The only thing that they can possibly help me out with is just another way of offsetting power costs,' he said. 'But in many ways, I don't see what the State Government can actually do to help business, a retail business in Australia, especially under a Federal award.' He said he was not surprised when the Budget was released. 'I can't see anything that's going to change anything, it's not gonna make things any better for us,' he said. 'But then again, I didn't know what to expect to start with anyway, it's usually the federal budget that's more important for me.' While there was little in the Budget to help him, he saw investments to improve housing, health and infrastructure as potentially beneficial to him too. Mr Jones said he could see the benefit of broader cost of living relief on his business. 'Anything that can bring down the cost of living, even if it's just for home buyers or just increasing housing supply to make rent cheaper, any anything like that, in my opinion, is a good thing in for retail anyway,' he said. Mr Jones said he hadn't seen anything in thew Budget which would specifically help him. Over the years Mr Jones said it has become more difficult to run the business. 'It's certainly more difficult to turn a profit with increases in expenses well, just across the board,' he said. 'A lot of it is to do with freight costs and obviously with wage increases, which in my opinion, were well and truly overdue anyway.' Mr Jones said he had made changes to his own work roster to keep the store running. 'It just means that my wife and I basically are working more, we do longer hours,' he said. 'We're doing longer hours probably since COVID finished, it's just necessary if you want to be open like we are for seven days, you have to put in the hours.'
