Weekly News (January 18th, 2021)

Compiled by Fizza Kulvi, Kyle Wyndham-West, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertler with 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.

(January 11 – 17, 2022)

Canadian News 

• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Canada’s Supreme Court is off-balance as ‘large and liberal’ consensus on the Charter falls apart (The Globe)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Le Canada au coeur d’une guerre froide numérique (Le Devoir)
• [PRIVACY] Public Health Agency’s data-gathering program during pandemic lockdown leads to ethics probe (The Globe)
• [PRIVACY] Ethics committee turns focus to privacy (The Star)
• [PRIVACY] New laws needed to protect data, say experts (The National Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Québec s’arme pour le numérique (Le Devoir)
• [PRIVACY/DIGITAL IDENTITY] Des documents financiers seront-ils associés à nos futures identités numériques au Québec? (Le Devoir)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Sans-fil : Pas de décision avant le printemps, dit Cogeco (La Presse)
• [TECH STARTUPS; ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE; BROADBAND] Herd of tech unicorns continues to grow (The Star)
• [PRIVACY] COVID-19 outbreak at N.S. facility for people with disabilities not made public (CBC)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Clark: A government that misses Step One in transparency sparks a tizzy about ‘surveillance’ (The Globe)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Ladouceur: Canada is sleepwalking into bed with Big Tech, as politicos float between firms and public office (The Star)

 

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Capitol attack panel subpoenas Google, Facebook and Twitter for digital records (The Guardian)
• [COMPETITION] Google, Facebook CEOs signed off on allegedly illegal ad deal, lawsuit says (CNET)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COMPETITION]  Tech Oversight Project launches to push for antitrust legislation in Silicon Valley (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] BioNTech and AI start-up develop tool to predict high-risk coronavirus variants (Financial Times)
• [PRIVACY] German police used a tracing app to scout crime witnesses  (Washington Post)
• [CENSORSHIP] Eastern Europe Tests New Forms of Media Censorship (NYT)
• [PRIVACY] Danish spying scandal escalates as former minister charged (Financial Times)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING/PUBLIC BROADCASTING] BBC licence fee to be abolished in 2027 and funding frozen (The Guardian)
• [CENSORSHIP] Sanctions and Censorship are making the Internet in Iran less accessible, analysts say (Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY/CYBERSECURITY] Security Flaws Seen in China’s Mandatory Olympics App for Athletes (NYT)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Nigeria lifts Twitter ban seven months after site deleted president’s post  (The Guardian)

(January 11 – 17, 2021)

Senate of Canada

• Adjournment period of the Senate extended
  

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

• [VIRTUAL SPACES – ENTRAPMENT – CHILD LURING] Temitope Dare v. Her Majesty the Queen (Ont.) (Criminal) (By Leave) (39871) : “The motion for an extension of time to serve and file the application for leave to appeal is granted. The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number C66356, 2021 ONCA 327, dated May 17, 2021 is granted. The appeal is to be heard with the appeals Corey Daniel Ramelson v. Her Majesty the Queen (39664) and Erhard Haniffa v. Her Majesty the Queen (39803). The schedule for serving and filing the appeal documents will be set by the Registrar.”
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION / DEFAMATION / SLAPP] Glen Hansman v. Barry Neufeld (B.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39796) : “The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (Vancouver), Number CA46586, 2021 BCCA 222, dated June 9, 2021, is granted with costs in the cause.”

Federal Court of Appeal

The following judgements were delivered on January 13, 2022: 

• [COPYRIGHT] Pyrrha Design Inc. v. Plum and Posey Inc. (2022 FCA 7) ​

CRTC

News releases:

• Telecom decision 2022-5
  [2022-01-14 11:00:00]
  Rogers Communications Canada Inc. – Request for non-discriminatory and timely access to the Telegraph Square multi-dwelling unit development and to future developments by IronGate Developments Inc. – Public record: 8622-R28-202102862
• Telecom order 2022-4
  [2022-01-12 11:00:00]
  Câblevision du nord de Québec inc. – Removal of the Témiscaming point of interconnection – Public record: Tariff Notice 13

Senate of Canada

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

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week. The House is adjourned until Monday, January 31, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. (EST).

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supereme Court of Canada has scheduled the following hearings for the month of January:
  • [COPYRIGHT] Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, et al. v. Entertainment Software Association, et al. (Federal Court) (Civil) (By Leave) 39418

CRTC

Anticipated releases for the week of 17 to 21 January 2022
The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 17 to 21 January 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Google

·         Making Open Source software safer and more secure

Microsoft 

• Malware attacks targeting Ukraine government

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Open Public Consultations

• Enabling the enforceability of the Building Broadband Faster Act Guideline (reply comments due January 17, 2022)
• Consultation about a 3-digit phone number for suicide prevention (reply comments due January 31, 2022)