Weekly News (January 25th, 2022)
Compiled by Kyle Wyndham-West, Bradley McNeil, Fizza Kulvi, 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 18 – 24, 2022)

Canadian News 

• (INTERNET POLICY) Google executive cautions Canada against adopting ‘extreme’ new internet rules (The Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP/ PLATFORM REGULATION] Demande d’action collective contre YouTube au Québec (Le Devoir)
• [PRIVACY/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/FACE RECOGNITION] Are the people in these photos the same person? (Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION]  Who will regulate the regulators? Big Tech and their influence on government policy  (The National Post)
• [DEFAMATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] Facebook accelerated ‘hate’ shown toward N.B. doctor, suit alleges (National Post)
• [PRIVACY/ CYBERSECURITY] Vol massif de données chez Desjardins; Le principal suspect voulait de l’argent pour collaborer (Le Devoir)
• [CBC/PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Salutin Kill the BBC/CBC! Cut its throat! Bash it in! Or at least, defund it (The Hamilton Spectator)
• [CBC/PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Watson For an even less popular CBC, yes, eliminate ads (Financial Post)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] OPINION: Fraser Why Canada needs its own health science manufacturing capacity (Toronto Star)
• [CBC/BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Kline The case for breaking up the increasingly hungry CBC (National Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE HARMS] OPINION: Fong: Legal reform is needed to protect young women from the growing threats of online sexual violence (The Conversation)
• Canada is sleepwalking into bed with Big Tech, as politicos float between firms and public office (The Star)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Twitter loses online hate speech court battle in France (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] EXCLUSIVE Twitter sees record number of govt demands to remove content, Japan and Russia lead pack (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/HATE SPEECH] Rights groups push Facebook to release India human rights assessment (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Google Deceived Users About Location Tracking, States Allege (WSJ)
• [PRIVACY]  Google Overhauls Cookie Replacement Plan After Privacy Critiques (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Will Congress Pass New Regulation on Big Tech? Time May Be Running Out (The New York Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]  U.S. threatens use of novel export control to damage Russia’s strategic industries if Moscow invades Ukraine (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Two female activists in Bahrain and Jordan hacked with NSO spyware (The Guardian)
• [CENSORSHIP] Australia PM Morrison loses control of WeChat Chinese account as election looms (Reuters)
• [CENSORSHIP] Kashmir Press Club closure is the latest blow to media freedom in the conflict-torn region, journalists say (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] China Vows ‘No Mercy’ in Battle Against Corruption, Big Tech (Bloomberg) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION/CRYPTOCURRENCY] Treasury plans crackdown on ‘misleading’ cryptocurrency ads (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Campaign aims to stop Facebook encryption plans over child abuse fears (The Guardian)
•  Nigeria lifts Twitter ban seven months after site deleted president’s post  (The Guardian)

(January 18 – 24, 2021)

Office of the Privacy Commissioner

• Data Privacy Week a good time to think about protecting children’s privacy online

 

Prairies Economic Canada Development

• Government of Canada invests in innovation in Saskatchewan to bring leading-edge products and technology to market

 

Google 

·         The harmful consequences of Congress’s anti-tech bills

·         AG Paxton’s false claims still don’t add up

 

Twitter

• An Update to the Twitter Transparency Center

 

Instagram

• Introducing Subscriptions: Helping Creators Earn Recurring Monthly Income on Instagram

 

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-6

 [2022-01-19 11:00:00] 

VMedia Inc. – Across Canada – Application to add the non-Canadian service Ukraine24 to the List of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution (the list). Public record for this application: 2021-0750-8

• Telecom decision 2021-429
  [2021-12-22 11:00:00]
  Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc. – Application requesting video relay service funding for 2022 – Changes to procedure – Public record: 8665-C209-202105288
• Telecom order 2021-428
  [2021-12-22 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Bell Aliant, a division of Bell Canada, TN 556, Bell Canada, TN 7641 and Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 843
• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2021-376-1
  [2021-12-22 11:00:00]
  Call for comments on market capacity to serve Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, and call for applications to serve Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec – Suspension of deadlines – Public record: 1011-NOC2021-0376
• Broadcasting decision 2021-427
  [2021-12-20 11:00:00]
  TLN Media Group Inc. – Across Canada – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for its discretionary service EuroWorld Sport by amending the requirement regarding the amount of live professional sports programming it can broadcast as it relates to live soccer, cricket and rugby
• Compliance and Enforcement and Telecom decision 2021-426
  [2021-12-20 11:00:00]
  CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee – Application requesting an urgent and expedited Commission direction deferring the effective date for the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN to 9-1-1 voice calls – Public record: 8638-B2-202107268

 

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme 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

 

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).

 

CRTC

Anticipated releases for the week of 24 to 28 January 2022
The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 24 to 28 January 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decisions:

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBT Grand Falls-Windsor – Conversion to the FM band
  Public record: 2021-0234-1
• Maritime Broadcasting System Limited
  CKNB Campbellton – Conversion to the FM band
  Public record: 2021-0192-1
• Gulf Islands Community Radio Society
  Community radio station and transmitter on Salt Spring Island
  Public record: 2018-1112-5
• United Christian Broadcasters Media Canada
  CKJJ-FM Belleville, CKGW-FM Chatham, CHJJ-FM Cobourg, CJOA-FM Thunder Bay, CJAH-FM Windsor, CKOS-FM Fort McMurray, CIUC-FM Regina – Licence amendments
  Public records: 2019-0517-6, 2019-0518-4, 2019-0519-2, 2019-0520-0, 2019-0521-7, 2019-0522-5 and 2019-0532-4
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBAF-FM-5 Halifax and its transmitter CBAF-FM-12 Margaree – Technical changes
  Public record: 2021-0396-9

 

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)

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