Newsletter: July 20, 2021

Weekly News (July 20th, 2021)

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

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

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

 

Communications Governance Observatory Podcast: new episodes!
-Produced by host Sumana Naidu-
July 14th, 2021: Bill C-10 with Dr. Fenwick McKelvey (36 min)
June 18, 2021: Bill C-10 with Bill Skolnik and Nathalie Guay from the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) (45 min)

(July 13-19, 2021)

Canadian News

• [DEFAMATION] Path cleared for defamation suit against CBC; Supreme court(National Post) (McMaster; York)
• [DEFAMATION] Subway pourra poursuivre la CBC pour diffamation (La Presse)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Cyberagency warns of election targeting (Toronto Star) (McMaster; York)
• [CYBERSECURITY] «Probable» ingérence étrangère lors du prochain scrutin fédéral (Le Devoir)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Judge gives Canada’s spy agency go-ahead to use new overseas investigative powers (National Post)
• [FREEDOM OF SPEECH] Vancouver author sues Twitter, Canada claiming violation of free speech and lack of regulation (Globe and Mail) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY/ACCESS-TO-INFO] Uber is going to court to block the release of workers’ compensation records (Toronto Star) (McMaster; York)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Canada joins allies in linking China to Microsoft email hack(Toronto Star) (McMaster; York)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Le Canada et des alliés blâment Pékin pour une cyberattaque visant Microsoft Exchange (Le Devoir)
  [COPYRIGHT] Canadian’s Inside Out lawsuit gets greenlit (National Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Opinion: Mercure: Avant de permettre à Google d’« oublier » (La Presse)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Cogeco laisse croire à son incursion imminente (La Presse)
• [COPYRIGHT] Three years after Supreme Court decision, TRREB still fighting over MLS data (Toronto Star) (McMaster; York)
• [PATENT/MEDICINE] OPINION: Brett Skinner: We no longer need the federal tribunal that deals with patent medicine prices (Hamilton Spectator) (McMaster; York)
• [FACIAL RECOGNITION] Ottawa tested facial recognition on millions of travellers at Toronto’s Pearson airport in 2016 (Globe and Mail) (McMaster; York)
• [TELECOM REGULATION] Proceeds from spectrum auction raise questions about debt at Canada’s Big Three telecoms (Globe and Mail) (McMaster; York)
  
  

International News

• [COPYRIGHT/DIGITAL PLATFORMS] In blow to Poland, EU court adviser okays bloc’s copyright rules (Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [DEFAMATION] Judge tosses Moore’s $95m defamation suit against Cohen(Washington Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] Uber reaches agreement in California sexual assault data request(Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY/PERSONAL INFORMATION] Facebook dodges EU ban on WhatsApp data use as scrutiny heats up (BNN Bloomberg News)  (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY] German privacy body probes German lab’s use of BGI prenatal tests(Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [CYBERSECURITY/US-CHINA RELATIONS] How China Transformed Into a Prime Cyber Threat to the U.S. (New York Times) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY/ONLINE SPEECH] India internet law adds to fears over online speech, privacy (Associated Press via Al Jazeera News) (McMaster; York)
• [SURVEILLANCE] NSO vows to scrutinize potential spyware abuse after consortium’s probe (Washington Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY/PERSONAL INFO] Global Data Restrictions on the Rise Amid Privacy and Security Fears (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York)
• [CENSORSHIP/PROTEST] Cuban Protests Were Powered by the Internet. The State Then Pulled the Plug (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York)
• [CENSORSHIP/PROTEST] Censorship circumvention tool helps 1.4 million Cubans get internet access (Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [AD TRACKING] Facebook users said no to tracking (Bloomberg News) (McMaster; York)
• [MISINFORMATION/CENSORSHIP] Censorship Coordination Deepens (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York)

(July 13-19, 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]  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Charlsie Agro, Kathleen Coughlin and Eric Szeto v. Subway Franchise Systems of Canada Inc., Subway IP Inc. and Doctors Associates Inc. (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39607): The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number C67852, 2021 ONCA 26, dated January 18, 2021, is dismissed with costs.
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Subway Franchise Systems of Canada Inc., Subway IP Inc. and Doctors Associates Inc. v. Trent University (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39611): The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number C67850, 2021 ONCA 25, dated January 18, 2021, is dismissed with costs.

 Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

• 2020–21 Annual Report: The pandemic has exacerbated deficiencies of the access to information system

 Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• OPC, NSIRA sign MOU to work collaboratively on privacy issues of mutual interest

Communications Security Establishment Canada

• 2021 update on cyber threats to Canada’s democratic process

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• The Government of Canada Launches Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for AI and the Internet of Things

 Twitter

• An update to the Twitter Transparency Center

 Instagram

• Investing $1 Billion in Creators

 Facebook

• Investing $1 Billion in Creators

Microsoft

• Positive online civility trends reversed one year into the pandemic, new Microsoft study shows

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting decision 2021-234
  [2021-07-16 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Inc. – Pickle Lake and Thunder Bay, Ontario – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the low-power, English- and Indigenous-language specialty (religious) radio station CJTL-FM Pickle Lake and its transmitter CJTL-FM-1 Thunder Bay
• Telecom order 2021-233
  [2021-07-15 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1125
• Telecom order 2021-232
  [2021-07-15 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1114
• Telecom order 2021-231
  [2021-07-15 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: SSI Micro Ltd., TN 3 and TN 3A
• Telecom order 2021-230
  [2021-07-15 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Saskatchewan Telecommunications, TN 371
• Telecom order 2021-229
  [2021-07-15 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 835
• Broadcasting decision 2021-228
  [2021-07-14 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Quinte Broadcasting Company Limited – Belleville, Ontario – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial FM radio station CIGL-FM Belleville
• Telecom order 2021-227
  [2021-07-13 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc. TN 1124
• Telecom order 2021-226
  [2021-07-13 11:00:00]

 

Senate of Canada 

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate is not sitting this week.

Canadian House of Commons 

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week, with possible extension of sitting hours: The House of Commons is not sitting today. The House is adjourned until Monday, September 20, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). 

CRTC  

Open Proceedings 

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings 
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Regulatory Policies 

Broadcasting  

• 2021-215– The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0124 and 1011-NOC2021-069 

     Telecommunications 

• 2021-215– The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0124 and 1011-NOC2021-069 

Anticipated releases for the week of July 19 -23, 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 Decisions:  

• Asian Television Network International Limited
  Across Canada
  Addition of Mirror Now to the List of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution
  Public record: 2021-0259-9

 Public Hearings 

o    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2021-218 (View hearing documents (2021-218) (September 9, 2021) 

Open Public Consultations:

• Access to Information Review Public Engagement: Reviewing access to information –https://atiareview.ca (March 31, 2021-July 31, 2021)
• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission: Call for comments – Introduction of a three-digit abbreviated dialing code for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services (June 3- Sept 1, 2021)
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: Reviewing access to information (March 31 – July 31, 2021)
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada: Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for AI and IoT (July 16-September 16, 2021)