Newsletter: November 17, 2020

Weekly News (November 17, 2020)
Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(November 10-16, 2020)

Canadian News

• [SURVEILLANCE/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] RCMP surveillance, searches breached anti-fracking protesters’ rights, watchdog says (The Canadian Press via Global News)
• [PRIVACY/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Canada must regulate AI to protect privacy and human rights: watchdog (The Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Trudeau government to usher in new privacy legislation (The National Post)
• [BROADCASTING REGULATION] Ottawa to require broadcasters fund Indigenous productions (The Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Lighting bridge in colours for anti-abortion group ‘polarizing’, Edmonton lawyers say (The Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY/INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Speech readied for CSIS boss raises spectre of ‘hostile’ nations hunting for personal data through schools and businesses (The Toronto Star)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/NATIONAL SECURITY] Ottawa urged to set up hotline for reporting intimidation, harassment by Chinese government agents (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/LOBBYING ETHICS] Chrystia Freeland’s policy adviser agrees to ethics screen related to lobbyist spouse (The Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY/DATA BREACH] High-ranking Hells Angel charged with breach of trust for allegedly accessing Ontario Ministry of Transportation computers (The Toronto Star) [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/MEDIA FREEDOM] Opinion: Karyn Pugliese: When discussing media freedom, Canada shouldn’t leave Indigenous journalism off the agenda (The Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP] Opinion: Colby Cosh: The disease of film censorship (The National Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Opinion: Susan Delacourt: Ottawa’s free-speech champions go silent (The Toronto Star)
• [COPYRIGHT/NEWS MEDIA] Opinion: Richard Owens: Universities need to stop stealing (The Financial Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI can help in fight against COVID-19, if we don’t let fear stop us: Yoshua Bengio (The Toronto Star)
• [DATA COLLECTION/COVID-19] Race and ethnicity data collection during COVID-19 in Canada: if you are not counted you cannot count on the pandemic response (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/SMART CITIES] Khurana: Opinion: Let’s get Toronto’s next shot at a new ‘smart’ waterfront right (Toronto Star)

International News

• [ANTI-COMPETITION] EU charges Amazon with squeezing sellers on its platforms (Reuters; Similar Story available on The Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Privacy activists in EU file complaints over iPhone tracking (The Toronto Star; Similar story available on Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] EU Commission seeks feedback on new data transfer tools after court ruling (Reuters)
• [DEFAMATION] Trump campaign loses two defamation suits against CNN and an NBC affiliate in Wisconsin.(The New York Times)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/ANTITRUST] U.S. senator urges FTC to interview Facebook ex-officials (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] FCC nominee pledges ‘regulatory stability,’ in U.S. Senate pitch (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] Washington State Could Be the 2021 Battleground for Internet Privacy (The Wall Street Journal)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] China Drafts New Regulation To Rein In Online Platforms (The Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Asylum seekers versus Big Tech (The Toronto Star)
• [PATENT] Opinion: Owen Jones: The Covid vaccine will benefit humanity – we should all own the patent (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COPYRIGHT] Streaming platforms aren’t helping musicians – and things are only getting worse.  (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY/CYBERSECURITY] Microsoft President Calls for Global Crackdown on Cyberattacks (The Wall Street Journal)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/ORGANIZED VIOLENCE] Tech companies under pressure to ban far-right forum used for militia organizing (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY/US-CHINA RELATIONS] TikTok gets short extension before it must be sold  (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY/DIGITAL RIGHTS] On U.S. digital rights, Biden presidency could be ‘a real opportunity’ (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY/COVID-19] The Hot New Covid Tech Is Wearable and Constantly Tracks You (The New York Times)

(November 10-16, 2020)

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Canadians invited to share their views on AM and FM radio
• Hundreds of agents and brokerages held accountable for using company that violated telemarketing rules

Department of Justice

• Government of Canada launches public consultation on the Privacy Act

Global Affairs

• Canada concludes second Global Conference for Media Freedom at time of unprecedented challenge 
• Canada and United Kingdom announce recipient of first Media Freedom Award

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Media availability and technical briefing on the implementation of Canada’s Digital Charter
• Connecting New Brunswick to high-speed Internet with the Universal Broadband Fund

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Commissioner issues proposals on regulating artificial intelligence

The Federal Court of Appeal

• [PATENT] Mud Engineering Inc. v. Secure Energy Services Inc.2020 FC 1049 – 2020-11-12

Google

• The opportunity for “Digital Sprinters”

Microsoft

• Microsoft study: Online risks that sow hate and division are growing 
• Cyberattacks targeting health care must stop

Twitter

• An update on our work around the 2020 US Elections

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2020-374
  [2020-11-12 11:00:00]
  Call for comments – Commercial radio policy framework review – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0374
• Telecom decision 2020-373
  [2020-11-12 11:00:00]
  CISC Emergency Services Working Group – Consensus report ESRE0086 regarding dispatchable location from originating networks – Public record: 8621-C12-01/08
• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2019-379-4
  [2020-11-10 11:00:00]
  Notice of hearing – 11 January 2021 – Gatineau, Quebec – Change of hearing location and start time, and additional information to be added to the public record
• Telecom order 2020-372
  [2020-11-10 11:00:00]
  Streamlined Order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Cogeco Communications Inc. TN 61 and TELUS Communications Inc. TN 556
• Telecom order 2020-371
  [2020-11-10 11:00:00]
  Streamlined Order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Northwestel Inc. TN 1098 and TN 1100
• Telecom order 2020-370
  [2020-11-09 11:00:00]
  Northwestel Inc. – General Tariff – Amendment to terrestrial Internet services – Public record: Tariff Notice 1084
• Broadcasting decision 2020-369
  [2020-11-09 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Carlsbad Springs Community Association – Carlsbad Springs and Embrun, Ontario – Application for a new low-power transmitter in Embrun to rebroadcast the programming of the English- and French-language community radio station CJRO-FM Carlsbad Springs

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: November 16-20, 2020

 Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: November 16-20, 2020
• Upcoming committee meetings:
  • [ETHI] (November 16, 2020) Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics: Committee Business
  • [CACN] (November 17, 2020) Special Committee on Canada-China Relations: Canada-China Relations–
  • [INDU] (November 17, 2020) Accessibility and Affordability of Telecommunications Services

CRTC

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of November 16-20, 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.

Open Public Consultations:

• Consultation on the Technical and Policy Framework for the 3650‑4200 MHz Band and Changes to the Frequency Allocation of the 3500‑3650 MHz Band (November 30, 2020)
• Reviewing access to information (December 12, 2020)
• Creating Canada’s 5th National Action Plan on Open Government (Deadline for replies: December 18, 2020)