Cybersecurity experts and other legitimate users of consumer “hacking devices” will be able to seek government dispensations to own them, the innovation minister told The Logic. (The Logic)

Talking point: The federal government had previously announced it would ban them outright in an attempt to crack down on car thefts, and experts at a federal summit on auto theft gave the ban a “thumbs-up,” Champagne said at a business breakfast at Ottawa city hall. “I’m here to defend Canadians. So if these tools can directly or indirectly help criminals, they should be banned,” he said. Although he’s heard the commentary from others who say the devices are hardly more than toys, useless for cracking the security on any but the oldest vehicles that can be unlocked and started with fobs, Champagne said he believes opposition to the policy is mainly from Flipper Zero’s manufacturer.