Thanks to Wikileaks, we now know that the TPP will force internet service providers to essentially police their networks. This includes secretly handing over your identity and information to law enforcement. While aimed at skirting piracy, in reality the TPP deal increases surveillance in a massive way.

While the TPP has not been fully ratified yet, it is only a matter of time before it, or something like it puts pressure on internet service providers to comply with it’s overreaching copyright laws.

How to protect your privacy online via VPN from the Trans Pacific Partnership

We’re all for trade liberalization that benefits citizens, but when it encroaches on individual privacy it is time to take some precautions. The best thing you can do as of right now is to encrypt your internet connection via a virtual private network (VPN). This will essentially reroute your internet traffic through an intermediary and make it virtually impossible to track your actions online.

Our favourite service that keeps your information completely anonymous (even from the method of payment you use) is Private Internet Access.  They don’t keep any logs on their servers of their customers so there is literally no paper trail of anyone who uses the internet while on their VPN. I have used it for over a year and can’t recommend it enough. It’s fast, reliable and they take privacy very seriously, which with the TPP coming is a very good thing.

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It’s official, Apple has now caught up to Roku and Android TV . That’s really what today’s “Hey Siri” event had to say to media that were salivating for the new Apple TV. There were some rumours that came true. For example, the focus on gaming for the new $149 device. But others didn’t materialize.

Many thought that the new Apple TV was going to be the device that would finally provide a new model for delivering internet TV. But this really didn’t happen. Supposedly Apple is still working on some deals with cable providers to bring new programming models to the Apple TV. But this was surprisingly absent from today’s announcement.

That’s not to say that the new Apple TV isn’t a great upgrade to the old, admittedly tired, device. Upgrades to the internals take the Apple TV to the new snappy 64 bit A8 chip. When it launches in October, it will be available in 32GB and 64GB versions which will be used to load up apps.  That’s right, 3rd party apps are now possible via the Apple’s TVs new app store. This is an area where devices like Roku 3 and Android TV boxes like the Amazon Fire TV and NVIDIA Shield TV have had the leg up on Apple.

The new Apple TV interface is cleaner and more “iOs-y” than the previous

On the interface side of things, the new Apple TV now has a fancy new remote that features a touch pad for swiping between items on the newly designed (iOS inspired) interface. It can also be used as a motion controller complete with an accelerometer for playing your favourite mobile games on the big screen. It all looks like it operates smoothly and intuitively. Siri integration which allows for voice searches brings the Apple TV in line with the Roku 3 and Android TV crew as well. Like Android TV, there is a “universal search” which can dig into content from several different apps including Netflix, Hulu and HBO Now.

A good upgrade for an old device

No, the new Apple TV doesn’t really do anything incredibly new. No, it isn’t going to dethrone Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo for the gaming market like many predicted. And no, it isn’t being launched with any game changing TV models that are going to sink cable TV once and for all. But it does seem to be a great upgrade for those of you who are invested in and familiar with the Apple ecosystem of apps. The new app store, upgraded controller, and snappier performance should be enough to justify the price of admission for the Apple TV.

It’s not the next coming of Christ in terms of video streaming boxes. But that’s okay. Let’s see what Google has up their sleeves in the future as competition will probably someday deliver a wildly different TV experience.

Happy cord cutting!

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As you can see Bell’s fibre network takes the top slot in the latest rankings, easily topping Rogers’ network who is all the way down in 7th place. Telus, the next of Canada’s “Big Three” is even slower at 9th place. You’ll notice that they didn’t measure Rogers’ fibre network which is worth noting.

Obviously anything in the top ten isn’t terrible, but it must be nice for Bell to be able to rub Rogers’ nose in it (just a little bit).

How is your internet speed? Is it keeping up with Netflix’s Ultra HD offerings? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Bell vs Rogers internet: Bell faster than Rogers according to Netflix appeared first on Cord Breaker .

How are you going to watch all of your favourite characters get killed off without cable?

HBO Now has launched Chromecast support with both their iOS and Android app. Because of this I honestly don’t think there is a better time to grab a Chromecast. It’s $39 people!

How to stream HBO Now with Chromecast

It’s really simple. And if you are familiar with Google’s Chromecast at all you’re all set. For those of you that are new to the platform, here is the low down. Essentially you will use your phone or tablet to log into the HBO Now platform (which is $15 a month in the US). Once in the app you will see a Chromecast button like the one highlighted below. By clicking this your Chromecast will be told to fetch whatever video you select in the HBO Now app. And it’s as simple as that! If you need any extra info on the Chromecast and it’s capabilities, check out our Chromecast Guide.

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1. Stephen Harper likes movies and television
2. Stephen Harper likes Breaking Bad
3. Stephen Harper’s dead eyes can stare through a man’s soul

I love movies and TV shows. I’m 100% against a #Netflix tax. Always have been, always will be #NoNetflixTax #elxn42 https://t.co/oUYgTkXH3q

— Stephen Harper (@pmharper) August 5, 2015

Mr. Harper goes on to say: “Some have even called on us to introduce a Netflix tax. .. Now Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair had left the door wide opened to doing just that. I’m 100% against a Netflix tax. Always have been always will be.”

Well, I’m 100% against arming grizzly bears with deadly laser cannons. Always have been. Always will be. I’m glad I got that off my chest.

In all seriousness, this just underscores the lengths that the Conservative government will go to in order to “get the cool kid vote.” Yes, we all love Netflix. No, that does not mean that you have endeared yourself to us. It’s a bit late for that now.

The idea of a Netflix Tax is not something that showed up out of thin air. First proposed at a CRTC hearing in 2014, the Netflix tax idea is intended to put Canadian-based media on equal footing with foreign-owned companies like Netflix. Under Canadian law Netflix is not forced to pay mandatory sales tax back to the government, something that some believe put them in an unfair position in the Canadian market.

Reddit exploded last month when it was confirmed that the city of Chicago was instituting a 9% Netflix tax on citizens. Some are also calling it a “cloud tax” as it applies to a wide range of businesses that operate digital cloud services. Let’s just say that this one has been unpopular.

So is it actually possible that at some point there will be a legitimate political issue around a Netflix tax? You bet. It’s only a matter of time before the Canadian government starts more closely regulating services like Netflix. As for now, let’s just enjoy a good episode of Breaking Bad with Stephen (while it’s still cheap).

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