Newsletter: March 9, 2021

Weekly News (March 9, 2021)

Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertler with Sara Bannerman, Fenwick McKelvey, Guillaume Dandurand, Marek Blottière, and Kevin Morin

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

This week’s newsletter includes additional links to articles made available through Factiva via McMaster and York respectively.

The Communications Governance Discussion Group meets every few weeks by Zoom.  Email organizer Derek Hrynyshyn <derekh@yorku.ca> for details.

(March 2-8, 2021)

Canadian News

• [BROADCAST REGULATION] User-generated content not a target of Broadcast Act changes, says heritage minister (National Post; McMaster; York)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Cancellation caps apply to three-year plans: CRTC (Toronto Star; McMaster; York)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Cellulaires: les offres de financement sur plus de 24 mois ne respectent pas les règles (Journal de Montréal)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Heritage minister unveils COVID-19 events fund for arts and cultural sector (Toronto Star; McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] Ontario’s plans for COVID-19 contact tracing wearable devices threaten freedom and privacy (National Post; McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] Vie Privée: Le géant doit être plus transparent, affirme le commissaire fédéral (Journal de Montréal)
• [CANCON] Netflix to fund Canadian programs focused on female-led film and TV production (The Globe and Mail)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Ottawa’s decade of hostile policies hurt Canada’s vaccine production, Pfizer says (Toronto Star; McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] From Zoom court to Instagram in moments: Ontario courts struggle to stop illegal sharing of jailhouse images, witness testimony (Toronto Star; McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] RageOn CEO issues plea to Shopify: ‘Please, don’t kill our company’ (Ottawa Citizen)
• [MEDIA GOVERNANCE] Torstar plans online casino launch to help fund journalism (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/LABOUR] OPINION: Vass Bednar: Algorithms are increasingly treating workers like robots. Canada needs policy to protect them (Globe and Mail; McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: John Hinds: Canada must stand with Australia against Facebook and Google (National Post)
• [DEFAMATION/ANONYMITY] OPINION: Suzanne Zaccour; La question va bien au-delà de l’anonymat (La Presse)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/ELECTIONS] OPINION: Marcel Wieder: Doug Ford’s new elections act bill moves to silence critics (The Toronto Star)
•   [HATE SPEECH] Contentious hate speech law could return; New legislation aimed at online hate content (National Post; McMaster; York)

International News

•   [ONLINE CONTENT/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] India’s Supreme Court says favours controls on video streaming services (Reuters; McMaster; York)
• [PATENT] WHO head wants virus vaccine patents waived to boost supply (Associated Press News; McMaster; York)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Justice Issues Her First Majority Opinion (New York Times; McMaster; York)
• [PLARFORM REGULATION/CENSORSHIP] India Threatens Jail for Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter Employees (The Wall Street; McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] South Africa’s information regulator says WhatsApp cannot share users’ contact information (Reuters; McMaster; York)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/DIGITAL] Digital authoritarianism’ threatening basic rights in Africa, study says (Reuters; McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/PRIVACY] Google won’t track individual Chrome users after changes (Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/PRIVACY] Google promet de ne bientôt plus pister les utilisateurs individuellement  (La Presse)
• [CENSORSHIP] GOP pushes bills to allow social media ‘censorship’ lawsuits (Los Angeles Times; McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House (The New York Times; McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] Virginia governor signs nation’s second state consumer privacy bill (Washington Post; McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] De nouvelles poursuites du réseau social Parler contre Amazon (La Presse)
• [COPYRIGHT] Alaska Native group, Neiman Marcus settle lawsuit over coat (Toronto Star; McMaster; York)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Biden faces fresh challenges from a massive hack of Microsoft email servers (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] News of the World phone hacking: Noel Fielding latest to win damages (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] Meghan granted £450k interim payment in Mail on Sunday privacy case (The Guardian; McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] U.K. Paper told to publish statement on front page; Meghan’s privacy win (The Chronicle Herald; McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] Vaccination Sites Face Lawsuits Over Privacy (Wall Street Journal; McMaster; York)
• [PUBLISHING GOVERNANCE] 6 Dr. Seuss Books Will No Longer Be Published Over Offensive Images (The Guardian)
• [POLICING/ROBOTICS] OPINION: Akin Olla: A dystopian robo-dog now patrols New York City. That’s the last thing we need (The Guardian)

(March 2-8, 2021)

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has today deposited with the Registrar judgments in the following leave applications.

• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CRTC] 3510395 Canada Inc. v. Attorney General of Canada (F.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39396) (Dismissed)

Federal Court of Appeal

• [PATENT] Apotex Inc. v. Janssen Inc. – 2021 FCA 45 – 2021-03-04

Federal Court of Canada

• [PATENT] Swist v. Meg Energy Corp. – 2021 FC 198 – 2021-03-03

 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• CRTC provides greater protection for wireless consumers

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Response by the Government of Canada to petition concerning CRTC paper bills decision
• Order in Council responding to a petition to the Governor in Council concerning Telecom Decision CRTC 2020-80

 National Film

• The NFB stays on course for gender parity. Platinum Parity Certification from Women in Governance.

Canadian Heritage

• Modernization of Official Languages Act: Appointment of Expert Panel on Language of Work and Service in Federally Regulated Private Businesses

Microsoft

• New nation-state cyberattacks

Facebook

• Let’s Talk About Why Personalized Ads Matter

Twitter

• Updates to our work on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
• Disclosing networks of state-linked information operations

CRTC

News Releases:

• Telecom decision 2021-101
  [2021-03-05 11:00:00]
  Delay of relief implementation for area codes 403, 587, 780, and 825 in Alberta – Public record: 1011-NOC2018-0234
• Telecom order 2021-100
  [2021-03-04 11:00:00]
  Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of the Coalition for Cheaper Wireless Service in the proceeding that led to Telecom Decision 2021-98 – File numbers: 1011-NOC2019-0309 and 4754-631
• Telecom order 2021-99
  [2021-03-04 11:00:00]
  Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of l’Union des consommateurs in the proceeding that led to Telecom Decision 2021-98 – File numbers: 1011-NOC2019-0309 and 4754-638
• Telecom decision 2021-98
  [2021-03-04 11:00:00]
  Wireless Code – Application to device financing plans – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0309

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today that judgment in the following leave applications will be delivered at 9:45 a.m. EST on Thursday, March 11, 2021. This list is subject to change.
  • [SEARCH & SEIZURE] Sheldon Wells Canfield, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen, et al. (Alta.) (Criminal) (By Leave) (39376)
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Kathleen Helen Walker v. Law Society of British Columbia (B.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39452)
• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today the list of appeals that will be heard from March 15 to March 26, 2021.
  • • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/ELECTIONS] City of Toronto v. Attorney General of Ontario (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (38921
    • [PUBLICATION BAN; PRIVACY] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation v. Her Majesty the Queen, et al. (Man.) (Civil) (By Leave) (38992)

•  

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate is not sitting today. Adjournment period extended until Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 2pm.

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: March 8^th-12^th, 2021

Upcoming Committee Meetings 

• [CHPC] (March 8, 2021) Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage: Subject Matter of Bill C-10, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act
• [CHPC] (March 12, 2021) Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage: Subject Matter of Bill C-10, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act

CRTC 

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of March 8-12^th, 2021

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:

• 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 radio station

         Regulatory Policies

Broadcasting
2021-3 – Revised list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution – Annual compilation of amendments

 Public Hearings

• To consider the broadcasting application listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2021-36 – View hearing documents (2021-36) (March 30, 2021)

Open Public Consultations:

• Canadian Heritage: A Consultation on How to Implement an Extended General Term of Copyright Protection in Canada (March 21, 2021)
• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission: Commercial radio policy framework review (Nov 12, 2020 to March 29, 2021)
• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission: 2019-217 Co-development of a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy