Weekly News (May 25, 2022)

Compiled by 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.

(May 17 – May 23, 2022)

Canadian News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION/BROADCASTING POLICY] Bill would give CRTC power over user-generated content, but it won’t use it: chair (The Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/BROADCASTING POLICY] Réglementation des plateformes numériques : Le projet de loi pourrait permettre au CRTC de réglementer les vidéos maison (La Presse)     
• [TELECOM POLICY] Canada banning China’s Huawei Technologies, ZTE from 5G telecom networks (National Post)
• [TELECOM POLICY] Huawei et ZTE bannis des réseaux 5G canadiens (Le Devoir)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Licence de spectre: Vidéotron a de nouveau gain de cause face à Telus (Le Journal de Montréal)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] ‘There’s games afoot’: Insiders detail Ottawa’s frustration with Google over online news bill (The Star)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/HATE SPEECH] Criminalizing Holocaust denial seen as ineffective; Civil liberties groups say bill about politics (National Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Le NPD ontarien promet d’adopter une loi anti-haine (Le Devoir)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Russia closing CBC’s Moscow bureau in retaliation for Canada banning Russian state TV (CBC)
• [INTERNET REGULATION] Live streamed mass shooting shows more internet regulations needed, New Zealand expert says in Winnipeg (CBC)
• [ONLINE HARMS] Over half of young people see racist content online about immigrants, poll suggests (The Star)
• [CYBERSECURITY] A day after Huawei ban, Ottawa says it’s preparing new laws to protect against cyberattacks (The Star)
• [CONTENT MODERATION] Glut of social media posts, political divisiveness a challenge for content moderators (The Star)
• [STREAMING PLATFORMS] Canadians rethink pandemic subscriptions amid return to favourite pastimes (The Star)
• [PRIVACY] Privacy watchdog examining dossier City of Toronto compiled on homeless (The Star)                                                

International News                                  

• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Facebook-owner Meta to share more political ad targeting data (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] DC attorney general sues Mark Zuckerberg over Cambridge Analytica data breach (Washington Post)                
• [CRYPTOCURRENCY] U.S. abortion rights threat fuels jump in crypto donations (Reuters)
• [ONLINE HARMS] Buffalo Shooting Tests Internet Antiterrorism Accord (WSJ)
• [ONLINE HARMS] The Enduring Afterlife of a Mass Shooting’s Livestream Online (NYT)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] How Twitch took down Buffalo shooter’s stream in under two minutes (Washington Post)                             
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] ​​Twitter expands content-moderation rules to cover crises like war and disasters. (NYT)
• [COMPETITION] Facebook quietly bankrolled small, grass-roots groups to fight its battle in Washinton (Washington Post)
• [HATE SPEECH] Nigeria asks Facebook, other platforms to curtail hate speech (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Tufekci: We Must Take Back Our Privacy (NYT)

(May 17 – May 23, 2022)

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has deposited with the Registrar judgements in the following in leave applications:
  • [BROADCASTING] [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Attorney General for Ontario v. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, et al. (Ontario) (Civil) (By Leave) (40078) (DISMISSED)

Senate of Canada

Hansard transcripts:

• [BROADCASTING POLICY] May 18, 2022: Online Streaming Bill
  • Bill to Amend—Motion to Authorize Transport and Communications Committee to Study Subject Matter—Debate
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] May 19, 2022: Online Streaming Bill
  • Bill to Amend—Motion to Authorize Transport and Communications Committee to Study Subject Matter—Debate Continued

Canadian Heritage

• The governments of Canada and British Columbia support French-language postsecondary education
• Government of Canada launches Canada-wide consultations on the next Action Plan on Official Languages
• The governments of Canada and British Columbia invest more than $4.7 million in French-language postsecondary education in British Columbia
• Minister Petitpas Taylor launches national consultations for the next Action Plan for Official Languages
• Government of Canada concludes highly successful creative industries trade mission to Europe

Competition Bureau

• Competition Bureau closes two investigations into pharmaceutical patent litigation settlements

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Minister Ng launches request for proposals for renewed Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative
• Governments of Canada and British Columbia announce up to $108 million in funding to improve high-speed Internet and mobile connectivity
• The Government of Canada to hold a media availability on telecommunications security
• Governments of Canada and British Columbia to make an important announcement about high-speed Internet and mobile connectivity

Google

• Building a secure world
• The facts about the temporary Match Group agreement
• A framework for Asia-Pacific’s digital growth

YouTube

• Tackling misinformation during world-changing moments

Microsoft

• Microsoft responds to European Cloud Provider feedback with new programs and principles

Twitter

• Introducing our crisis misinformation policy

Meta/Facebook

• Community Standards Enforcement Report Assessment Results
• Widely Viewed Content Report, First Quarter 2022
• Transparency Report, Second Half 2021
• Community Standards Enforcement Report, First Quarter 2022
• Ensuring an Open and Interoperable Metaverse
• Introducing New Members of the Oversight Board
• An Embodied AI Platform to Solve Biomechanical Problems

CRTC

              Broadcasting Decisions

• 2022-134 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Ottawa and Deep River, Ontario – Application to change the authorized contours of CBCD-FM-1 Deep River
• 2022-133 – FAB Broadcasting Corp. – Listowel, Ontario – Application for authorization to acquire from Five Amigos Broadcasting Inc., as part of a corporate reorganization, the assets of the English-language commercial radio station CHLP-FM Listowel
• 2022-131 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Edmonton and Edson, Alberta – Application to change the authorized contours of CBXD-FM Edson
• 2022-130 – The News Forum Inc. – Across Canada – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate the currently exempt national discretionary service The News Forum
• 2022-127 – 11733630 Canada Inc. – Saint-Raymond-de-Portneuf and Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the French-language commercial radio station CHOC-FM Saint-Raymond-de-Portneuf to operate a new transmitter in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures
• 2022-125 – Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta – Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta – Application to amend the broadcasting licence of the Indigenous (Type B Native) FM radio station CJWE-FM Calgary, in order to operate a new rebroadcasting transmitter in Lethbridge

Compliance and Enforcement Decisions

• 2022-132 – 1882914 Ontario Inc., operating as Datablocks Inc. and 2348149 Ontario Inc., operating as Sunlight Media Networks Inc. – Alleged violations of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation – File numbers: 9094-201500417-001 and 9094-201500417-002

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: The House is not sitting this week.

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 24 to May 27 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decisions:

• CJRO Radio Inc.
  CJRO-FM Carlsbad Springs and its transmitters CJRO-FM-1 Vars, CJRO-FM-2 Embrun and CJRO-FM-3 Sarsfield – Acquisition of assets
  Public record: 2021-0695-5

Public Consultations

• CBC/Radio-Canada engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada about better reflecting Indigenous cultures (April 26 – September 27, 2022)

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