Newsletter: November 24, 2020

Weekly News (November 24, 2020)
Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(November 17-23, 2020)

Canadian News

• [PRIVACY] New law takes aim at data abuse (The Hamilton Spectator; Similar story available at The Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Feds ‘missing opportunity’ to ensure political parties covered by privacy law (The Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Alberta ends carding, brings in new rules on when police can stop and question(The Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY/SURVEILLANCE] Peel police testing new body cameras at Pearson Airport (The Toronto Star)
• [INTERNET POLICY] Ottawa looks to triple spectrum for WiFi use (The Globe and Mail)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Agency warns Canada at risk of cyber attacks (The Toronto Star; Similar Story available via The National Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Federal probe into Facebook friends in high places (The Ottawa Citizen; Similar Story available on the National Post)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Info commissioner slams RCMP (The Toronto Star)
• [TELECOM] Opposition defeats Liberals on motion to fight Chinese tactics (The Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Telus to build out 5G network without China’s Huawei (The Globe and Mail)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY/PATENT] Is BlackBerry IP worth public funds? (The National Post)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Canadian filmmakers push for big changes as Telefilm revamps funding formula (The Globe and Mail; Behind paywall)
• [PRIVACY] Opinion: Byron Holland: The world is finally taking Big Tech seriously. Canada should step up (The National Post)
• [PRIVACY] Opinion: Navneet Alang: New bill would ensure Canadians have the right to destroy their own data. But that doesn’t go far enough (The Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Opinion: Kean Birch: Ottawa’s post-hoc privacy plan still leaves the power with Big Tech (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Opinion: Richard Stursberg & Kevin Chan: We should regulate social media – but in a way that makes sense (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/MISINFORMATION] Opinion: Bruce Campion: Truth as a remedy to ‘informational chaos’ on social media (The Toronto Star)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Twitter and Facebook CEOs testify on alleged anti-conservative bias (The Guardian; similar story available via The Associated Press News)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ANTITRUST] State, federal antitrust cases likely to challenge Facebook (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Google faces UK scrutiny over new advertising data revamp (Associated Press News)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION & THE PRESS] France: Bill on publishing police images sparks protests (The Associated Press News)
• [INTERNET POLICY/CENSORSHIP] New internet rules to give Pakistan blanket powers of censorship (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/CENSORSHIP] Vietnam threatens to shut down Facebook over censorship requests (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] EU Restrictions Could Force Companies to Change Data Transfer Practices (The Wall Street Journal)
• [SPECTRUM POLICY] Despite unease, FCC votes to open airwaves devoted to road safety to WiFi (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/DEFAMATION] Facebook apologises to Australian MP falsely accused by conspiracy theorist of being in ‘paedophile network’ (The Guardian)
• [FREEDOM OF SPEECH; PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Judge slaps down Trump appointee who has sought to reshape Voice of America and related agencies (The Washington Post)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] SBA seeks to delay release of loan records following court order (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Privacy advocate sets sights on Apple (The Hamilton Spectator)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Hackers ‘try to steal Covid vaccine secrets in intellectual property war’ (The Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/SURVEILLANCE] China’s Surveillance State Sucks Up Data. U.S. Tech Is Key to Sorting It. (The New York Times)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Apple to cut App Store fees in half to 15% for most developers (BNN Bloomberg)
• [BROADBAND POLICY] Biden, Democrats seeking massive increase in federal broadband spending (The Washington Post)

(November 17-23, 2020)

The Federal Court of Canada

• [DEFAMATION/PRIVACY] Kohlenberg v. Canada (Attorney General) – 2020 FC 1066 – 2020-11-18

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Ian Scott to the Canadian Telecom Summit

Communications Security Establishment Canada

• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Releases the Canadian National Cyber Threat Assessment 2020
• News Conference and Technical Briefing by the Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security on the National Cyber Threat Assessment 2020

Department of Justice

• Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces an appointment to the Competition Tribunal

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Government of Canada launches consultation on proposal for licence-exempt spectrum to support greater choice and affordability of wireless services
• New proposed law to better protect Canadians’ privacy and increase their control over their data and personal information

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Commissioner issues proposals on regulating artificial intelligence

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

• Information Commissioner’s special report on a systemic investigation into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Statement from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada following the tabling of Bill C-11

Microsoft

• New Steps to Defend Your Data

CRTC

News Releases:

• Telecom order 2020-375
  [2020-11-20 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Ontera, a division of NorthernTel, Limited Partnership TN 146
• Telecom notice of consultation 2020-366-1
  [2020-11-18 11:00:00]
  Call for comments regarding potential regulatory measures to make access to poles owned by Canadian carriers more efficient – Changes to procedure – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0366

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: November 23-27
• Upcoming committee meetings:
  • [INDU] (November 24, 2020) Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology Committee Business
  • [CACN] (November 24, 2020) Special Committee on Canada-China Relations: Canada-China Relations–
  • [PRIVACY] Bills on Agenda – Bill C-11: Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020

 CRTC

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of November 23-27, 2020

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

Broadcasting Decision:

Decision relating to the following Part 1 application:

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBYG-FM Prince George and its transmitter CBYD-FM Bella Coola – Technical changes
  Public record for this application: 2020-0633-7

Telecommunications Decisions:

• CISC Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering – Consensus reports CNRE129A and CNRE130A regarding updates to the Canadian NPA Relief Planning Guideline
  Public record: 8621-C12-01/08
• CISC Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering – Consensus report CNRE127A – Updated Canadian Emergency Service Routing Digit Block Assignment Guideline
  Public record: 8621-C12-01/08

Open Public Consultations:

• ISED: 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)
• Creating Canada’s 5th National Action Plan on Open Government (Deadline for replies: December 18, 2020)
• Justice: Modernizing Canada’s Privacy Act – Public Consultation (January 17, 2021)
• Consultation on the Technical and Policy Framework for Licence-Exempt Use in the 6 GHz Band (January 19, 2021)
• CRTC: Share your views and ideas on telecommunications services in Northern Canada: Nov 2, 2020 to Jan 20, 2021
• CRTC: Commercial radio policy framework review Nov 12, 2020 to Nov 26, 2020
• Planned consultation (Treasury Board Secretariat): Reviewing access to information (December 12, 2020)