Newsletter: September 28, 2021

Weekly News (September 28th, 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.

(September 21-27, 2021)

Canadian News

• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] With Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor free, Ottawa now faces a decision on Huawei 5G ban (Globe & Mail)
• [INFORMATION WARFARE] ‘Unique opportunity’ for propaganda (Ottawa Citizen)
• [PRIVACY] La protection de la vie privée au Québec a désormais beaucoup de mordant (Le Devoir)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Quebec rapidly passes ban on COVID-19-related protests near schools, hospitals (National Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/CYBERSECURITY] Appel à la vigilance concernant de fausses applications sur Google Play (Le Devoir)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Twitter requires People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier to delete tweet that incited harassment (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Misinformation on Reddit has become unmanageable, Alberta moderators say (CBC News)
• [DEROGATORY NAMES] Ontario Human Rights Commission seeks input on controversial street, building names (Canadian Press via CBC News)
• [MISLEADING ADERTISING] Canadian regulators crack down on crypto advertisements (Globe and Mail)
• [CENSUS DATA] Census ponders producing less granular data in next release(Toronto Star) (McMaster; York)
• [VACCINE PASSPORT] Ontario’s COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination rules take effect Wednesday (Globe and Mail) (McMaster; York)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING/BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Légaré-Tremblay: Pour un service mondial à Radio-Canada/CBC (La Presse)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] OPINION: Mallone: Canada needs to implement a Trade Secrets Act (Toronto Star) (McMaster; York)
• [PATENT] OPINION: Blomqvist & Grootendorst: Canada should negotiate a fairer share of drug R&D costs (Financial Post) (McMaster; York)
• [AI/HUMAN RIGHTS] OPINION: GENTELET: We need concrete protections from artificial intelligence threatening human rights (National Post) (McMaster; York)

International News

• [PLATFORM LIABILITY] Australian Media May Rethink Facebook Presence (New York Times) (McMaster; York)
• [PATENT WAIVERS] Big pharma fuelling human rights crisis over Covid vaccine inequity – Amnesty (Guardian) (McMaster; York)
• [CENSORSHIP] New Taliban Guidelines Stir Fear About the Future of Press Freedom(New York Times) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY/ANTICOMPETITION] Senate hearing on ‘big data’ morphs into grilling over how Facebook harms teens (Washington Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY/ONLINE SAFETY] Facebook to testify on kids’ safety as lawmakers probe a whistleblower’s revelations (Washington Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY/DISINFORMATION] Facebook told to turn over deleted accounts tied to crackdown in Myanmar (Washington Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Daniel Tsai: Facebook isn’t Big Tobacco — in some ways it’s much worse (Toronto Star)
• [COPYRIGHT] Disney Sues to Save Rights to Marvel Characters By Brooks (New York Times) (McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/PRIVACY] Google CEO sought to keep Incognito mode issues out of spotlight, lawsuit alleges (Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [PERSONAL INFO/HACK] U.S. Officials Call for Fines Against Companies That Don’t Report Hacks (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York)
• [PERSONAL INFO/ELECTION DATA] Pennsylvania attorney general sues Republicans to stop election subpoena (Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [DEFAMATION] Trump camp debunked Dominion claims early, internal memo says(Washington Post) (McMaster; York)
• [PRIVACY LAW] California governor signs privacy laws for abortion patients(Associated Press News) (McMaster; York)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE GAMES] China’s Online Game Companies Fall in Line With Restrictions on Entertainment (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York)
• [TELECOM REGULATION] U.S. to open program to replace Huawei equipment in U.S. networks (Reuters) (McMaster; York)
• [CENSORSHIP/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Facebook Oversight Board Launches Review of Company’s XCheck System (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York)

(September 21-27, 2021)

Department of Justice

• Statement from the Department of Justice Canada – Extradition in Canada

Federal Court of Appeal

• [PATENT] Packers Plus Energy Services Inc. v. Essential Energy Services Ltd. – 2021 FC 986 – 2021-09-23
• [TRADEMARK] Caterpillar Inc. v. Puma SE – 2021 FC 974 – 2021-09-22

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

• Statement for Right to Know Week

Google

• A digital fast lane for emerging economies

CRTC

News Releases:

• Telecom order 2021-326
  [2021-09-23 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: NorthernTel, Limited Partnership, TN 410
• Telecom order 2021-325
  [2021-09-23 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc. TN 1141

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. EDT on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. This list is subject to change.

• [TRADEMARK] Travelway Group International Inc. v. Group III International Ltd., et al. (F.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39576)

 

Senate of Canada  

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate is dissolved. 
  The 43^rd Parliament has been dissolved. 

Canadian House of Commons  

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week, with possible extension of sitting hours: The House of Commons is dissolved.

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 September 27 – October 1, 2021 

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 Hearings

• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2021-281 (Rogers-Shaw merger) (Submission deadline: Sept 13, 2021; Hearing: Nov 22, 2021)

Open Public Consultations:

• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada: Consultation on Amending Cellular and Personal Communications Services (PCS) Licence Conditions (July 30 – September 28, 2021)
• Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission: Discussion Paper DIS-21-03, Cyber Security and the Protection of Digital Information (July 7 – Oct 7, 2021)