Newsletter: July 28, 2020

Weekly News (July 28, 2020)
Compiled by Leandra Greenfield with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(July 21- July 27, 2020)

Canadian News

• [PRIVACY/CONTACT TRACING] COVID-19 app could be ready by the weekend, Doug Ford says (Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY/CONTACT TRACING/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Canadian health officials using Uber data to track COVID-19 (Canadian Press)
• [PRIVACY/INTELLIGENCE] Team with Canadian military intelligence unit data-mined social media accounts of Ontarians during pandemic (Ottawa Citizen)
• [PRIVACY/SMART CITIES] Toronto tech firms fume at proposed sole-sourced deal between city and U.S. firm (Toronto Star)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Investigation into DND’s withholding of documents in Vice Adm. Norman’s case bounced around — no one charged (Ottawa Citizen)
• [PRIVACY] York Region police lay charges in Hwy. 407 data breach that jolted the Progressive Conservatives during the 2018 election (Toronto Star)
• [TRADEMARK] Edmonton CFL team to change name; called Edmonton Football Team for now (Globe & Mail)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Bardeesy and Andrey: We need stronger digital protections for vulnerable and racialized Canadians (Ottawa Citizen)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Elaine Gibson and Leah Hutt: Genetic discrimination now needs provincial protection (Toronto Star)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: Max Berger: No reason for NBA to censor Norm Powell’s ‘Am I Next?’ slogan (Toronto Star)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Trump Effort to Rein in Social Media Moves Forward (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY] Australian watchdog accuses Google of privacy breaches (ABC News)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] U.S. Orders China to Close Houston Consulate, Citing Efforts to Steal Trade Secrets (NYT)
• [PRIVACY/LAWFUL ACCESS] Police Requests for Google Users’ Location Histories Face New Scrutiny (Wall Street Journal)
• [CENSORSHIP/PLATFORM REGULATION] Pakistan warns TikTok video service, blocks Bigo Live app (Washington Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/BROADCAST/INTERNET REGULATION] Malaysia affirms social media users exempt from license rule (Washington Post)
• [CENSORSHIP] Appeals court blocks Trump administration takeover of organization fighting digital censorship and surveillance (Washington Post)
• [ANTITRUST] Big Tech goes on shopping spree, brushing off antitrust scrutiny (Financial Post)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] U.S. accuses Chinese hackers of targeting COVID-19 research (CBC)
• [PRIVACY] Uber Helping Public Health Officials Contact-Trace Riders And Drivers For Covid-19 (Forbes)
• [PRIVACY] Facebook bumps up offer to $650 million to settle facial recognition class action (USA Today)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Emile Dirks and James Leibold: China Is Harvesting the DNA of Its People. Is This the Future of Policing? (NYT)
• [INTERNET POLICY] U.S. hatches plan to build a quantum Internet that might be unhackable (Washington Post)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY/COMPETITION] Amazon Met With Startups About Investing, Then Launched Competing Products (Wall Street Journal)
• [CENSORSHIP] Hong Kong protesters adapt signs, slogans to skirt new law (NY Post)
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] New York Regulator Charges First American Unit Over 2019 Data Breach (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Don’t Ban TikTok, Regulate It (NYT)
• [CENSORSHIP/PRESS FREEDOM] Russia’s activists and independent journalists face new wave of crackdowns (Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY/CONTACT TRACING] Major Security Flaws Found in South Korea Quarantine App (NYT)
• [DATA REGULATION/PRIVACY] Europe’s new privacy ruling will help fragment the global economy (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Facebook Creates Teams to Study Racial Bias, After Previously Limiting Such Efforts (WSJ)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Black nurses association wins order against its founder (Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Instacart denies widespread data breach affecting hundreds of thousands of customers (USA Today)

(July 21- July 27, 2020)

Elections Canada

• Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Appoints Broadcast Arbitrator

The Senate

• Senate recalled in anticipation of COVID-19 measures

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

• Access at issue: Nine recommendations regarding the processing of access requests at National Defence

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Open letter: Global privacy expectations of video teleconference providers

Facebook

• Messenger Introduces App Lock and New Privacy Settings

CRTC

News Releases:

• Telecom order 2020-233
  [2020-07-23 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Saskatchewan Telecommunications TN 358, TN 358A, TN 358B and TN 358C
• Broadcasting decision 2020-232
  [2020-07-23 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation – Port Elgin and Tobermory, Ontario – Application to amend the broadcasting licence of the English-language commercial radio station CFPS-FM Port Elgin
• Telecom notice of consultation 2020-187-1
  [2020-07-22 11:00:00]
  Call for comments – Appropriate network configuration for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access services – Changes to procedure – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0187 – Revised deadline for submission of interventions: 5 October 2020 – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 7 December 2020
• Broadcasting decision 2020-231
  [2020-07-22 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Telile: Isle Madame Community Television Association – Isle Madame and other areas of Nova Scotia – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the low-power community-based television station CIMC-TV Isle Madame

Senate of Canada

• Planned sitting days this week: July 27

Canadian House of Commons

• No sitting days this week

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the coming week. This list may be incomplete and is subject to change without notice.

Anticipated releases for the week of July 27-31:

Broadcasting Decisions

Decisions relating to the following applications considered under the Commission’s Part 1 process:

• • Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various television services

Open Public Consultations

• Call for comments – Review of the approach to rate setting for wholesale telecommunications services (New deadline: August 13, 2020)
• Political Communications in Federal Elections (August 21, 2020 deadline)
• Call for comments – Accessibility – mobile wireless service plans that meet the needs of Canadians with various disabilities (August 31, 2020 deadline)
• Call for comments – Appropriate network configuration for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access services (September 9, 2020 deadline)

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings