Newsletter: October 13, 2020

Weekly News (October 13, 2020)
Compiled by Fizza Kulvi and Erica Rzepecki with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(October 6, 2020 – October 12, 2020)

Canadian News

• • [PRIVACY] Privacy commissioner warns of risks to sensitive data from telemedicine and remote learning (Globe and Mail)
  • [CYBERSECURITY] Sikh activists in Canada among targets as BlackBerry uncovers shadowy ‘hacker-for-hire’ network (National Post)
  • [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC announces it’s cutting about 130 jobs across Canada over next 3 months (CBC)
  • [PRIVACY] Lives of Barry and Honey Sherman trustees at risk if estate documents made public, top court hears (CBC)
  • [PLATFORM REGULATION] Facebook’s actions against QAnon are overdue — and may not be enough, experts say (CBC)
  • [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Barnea: The Competition Bureau’s investigation of Amazon is long overdue — and the online retailer is still growing at a blistering pace (The Star)
  • [INTELLECUTAL PROPERTY] OPINION: Geist: Superclusters report a wake-up call for Liberals’ withered innovation policy (Globe and Mail)
  • [DEFAMATION] OPINION: Levitt: A Twitter smear campaign against your employer may be cathartic — but it could have serious legal consequences (Financial Post)
  • [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Roy: Facebook reaps profits, returns little (Winnipeg Free Press)
  • [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Bernhard: Is Facebook complicit in Toronto mosque murder? Let a judge decide (The Star)
  • [PRIVACY] Apple users can now access health records from three GTA hospitals through their iPhone (The Star)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ANTITRUST] House Lawmakers Condemn Big Tech’s ‘Monopoly Power’ and Urge Their Breakups (New York Times)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] The Technology 202: Here are seven takeaways from the House’s sweeping report concluding Silicon Valley is too powerful (Washington Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Microsoft Takes Down a Risk to the Election, and Finds the U.S. Doing the Same (NYT)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/CENSORSHIP] Trying to make social media ‘fairer’ poses dangers for Republicans (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Facebook Removes Trump’s Post About Covid-19, Citing Misinformation Rules (WSJ)
• [SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT] Cellphone Carriers Lobby Against Pentagon Plan for National 5G Network (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Supreme Court Weighs Battle Over Copyrights Between Oracle, Google (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Technology 202: Facebook’s new ad limits highlight pressure to prepare for chaotic election aftermath (Washington Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Experts Urge Vigilance Over AI Data Security (WSJ)
• [PRIVACY] Amazon imagines a world where you pay with your hand. Privacy experts aren’t so sure. (Washington Post)
• [COPYRIGHT] Plagiarism case over Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven finally ends (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] California Privacy Proposal Divides Privacy Advocates As Vote Nears (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Pakistan TikTok ban Clock ticking on app as ‘offensive’ content draws ire (CBC)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Exclusive: Google faces new antitrust case in India over abuse in smart TVs market – sources (Reuters)
• [DEFAMATION] Thai hotel to drop charges against US man who faced jail over bad reviews (The Guardian)

(October 6, 2020 – October 12, 2020)

US House Committee on the Judiciary-Antitrust Subcommittee

• Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Investigation Reveals Digital Economy Highly Concentrated, Impacted By Monopoly Power

Elections Canada

• Guides to the Federal By-election Are in the Mail
• Tabling of the Special Report of the Chief Electoral Officer: Administering an Election during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Commissioner’s annual report: Pandemic raises privacy concerns highlighting urgency of law reform
• Remarks by Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding his 2019-2020 Annual Report to Parliament
• Privacy in a Pandemic: 2019-2020 Annual Report to Parliament on the Privacy Act and Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

Copyright Board

• Re:Sound Tariff 3.A – Background Music Suppliers (2014-2018) – 2020 CB 015-T
• Re:Sound Tariff 3.A – Background Music Suppliers (2014-2018) – 2020 CB 015

Google

• Statement on the Democratic and Republican House Antitrust Subcommittee reports

Microsoft

• New action to combat ransomware ahead of U.S. elections 
• 10 app store principles to promote choice, fairness and innovation
• New steps to preserve and protect journalism and local newsrooms

Twitter

• Disclosing networks to our state-linked information operations archive
• Additional steps we’re taking ahead of the 2020 US Election

Facebook

• Preparing for Election Day

Apple

• Health Records on iPhone available today in Canada

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2020-348 
  [2020-10-06 11:00 AM]
  APPROVED – Vista Radio Ltd. – Quesnel, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial radio station CFFM-FM-2 – APPROVED – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial radio station CKCQ-FM

Senate of Canada

• No sitting days this week.

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 Oct 13 – Oct 16, 2020:

• The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the coming week. This is subject to change without notice.

Upcoming Public Hearings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Open Public Consultations

• Call for comments – Establishment of new deadlines for Canada’s transition to next-generation 9-1-1 (Deadline for interventions: October 19, 2020; Deadline for replies: November 9, 2020)
• Call for comments on an application by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters requesting regulatory relief for Canadian broadcasters in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic (Deadline for interventions: October 19, 2020; Deadline for replies: October 29, 2020)