Richmond Hill resident Peter DeVita, president of the non-partisan Engineers for the Profession, is sounding the alarm. He is working with an engineer and MP from Windsor, Brian Masse, to petition the federal government to ask our political leaders to convene and address Cyber Systems Security and AI
Here is the petition"
Petition to the Prime Minister
Whereas:
- Cyberwar is real, and AI military weapons are now being deployed;
- The Auditor General of Canada has stated that Canada is one of the worst nations able to defend against Cyber Attacks;
- On ransomware (corporate blackmail and extorsion) per population, Canada is the second highest attacked in the world;
- Personal computer hacking, and identity theft exposes private and confidential information, leaving people vulnerable;
- All of Canada’s critical and vital infrastructure has come under cyber-attack, such as medical systems (e.g. Lifelabs), financial systems (e.g. CRA), our cities (e.g. Hamilton, ON), as well as school boards, water treatment systems, electrical power systems - all demonstrating our vulnerabilities to foreign attack;
- Worldwide cybercrime has become the most lucrative organized crime with little risk to the perpetrators;
- AI has demonstrated its rapid growth to enable both beneficial and harmful capabilities;
- Software engineering technology require discussions over jurisdictional boundaries to determine the optimal response for Canada to protect citizens, public institutions, and businesses; and
- Effective governance of cyber and AI requires partnership between federal and provincial regulators and authorities as well as the engineering professions.
We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Prime Minister to convene an emergency First Ministers' conference to create a sustainable and effective strategy on the subject of cybercrime and artificial intelligence in Canada.
Peter implores us to take action "Engineers build economies. Canada needs its First Ministers to plan Canada’s Technology future utilizing our Engineering and Applied Science Professions. Canada must have a proactive Technology Strategy that guides our Industry and Economy. Technology is the Future. Nations that do not advance in technology have no future. Cyber Systems Security and AI are extensions of Software Engineering. The recent incident involving Microsoft and Crowd Strike illustrates the dangers of a wild west attitude to Software Engineering and AI. The USA’s GOP is now advocating such a do-nothing approach."
The petition can be signed at: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-5117
Note: it is necessary to reply to the government's email to confirm your address
Peter has also directed us to an article in the Windsor paper, quoting him and MP Masse ''Under threat' — Windsor MP calls for 'emergency' action on cybercrime | Windsor Star
