Weekly News (May 3, 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.

(April 26 – May 2, 2022)

Canadian News 

·         [PRIVACY/FACIAL RECOGNITION] ​​Privacy watchdogs call for laws limiting police use of facial recognition (National Post) / [PRIVACY] Usage de la reconnaissance faciale; Les commissaires à la vie privée veulent que les corps policiers soient plus encadrés (La Presse)

·         [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Ottawa asked to overturn CRTC’s approval of Rogers-Shaw merger by advocacy groups (National Post)

·         [ONLINE NEWS] Facebook could block news over revenue-sharing bill, exec says (National Post)

·         [ONLINE NEWS] Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez reacts to Facebook ‘threat’ over online news bill (National Post)

·         [ONLINE NEWS]  Projet de loi C-18 sur les géants du web:La menace de Facebook de couper l’accès au Canada n’impressionne pas Pablo Rodriguez (La Presse)

·         [MISINFORMATION] Selon une étude La mésinformation n’a pas influencé le résultat des élections fédérales (La Presse)

·         [PRIVACY] Conservatives ask privacy commissioner to investigate ‘disturbing’ potential privacy breach of CRA employee whistleblowers (National Post)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Elon Musk’s Twitter bid may push marginalized voices off the platform: experts (Toronto Star)

·         [DEFAMATION] Une publication diffamatoire sur Facebook lui coûte cher; La femme a écrit des propos mensongers sur une candidate du Parti conservateur lors des élections fédérales (Journal de Montréal)

·         [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] L’accès aux documents de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada jugé « déplorable » (La Presse) 

·         [TECH MANUFACTURING] Report finds failures in due diligence of African ‘conflict minerals’ used in computers and cellphones (Globe and Mail)

·         [PRIVACY] COVID-19 patient sues Health P.E.I. for privacy breach at hospital (CBC)

·         [HATE SPEECH] Resident feels ‘relief’ after Confederate flag taken down from Binbrook home (CBC)

·         [COPYRIGHT] OPINION: Geist: The Canadian Government Makes its Choice: Implementation of Copyright Term Extension Without Mitigating Against the Harms (Michael Geist Blog)

·         [DATA PROTECTION] OPINION: Sarantakis: Taking data seriously: A call to public administrators (Policy Options)  

·         [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Burton-Bloom: Could ethical AI help underrepresented groups get ahead at work? (Globe and Mail)

·         [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Cohn: Social media AIs are a convenient scapegoat for the decline of democracy. But we should look deeper (Toronto Star)

·         [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/ PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Philippe Mercure;Une loi pour encadrer Musk et Twitter au plus vite (La Presse)

International News

·         [DISINFORMATION] DHS tries to right controversial rollout of its ‘disinformation governance board’ (Washington Post)

·         [PRIVACY] Online Privacy Protections Gain Traction With Lawmakers, Tech Industry (WSJ)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Another Firing Among Google’s A.I. Brain Trust, and More Discord (NYT)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] Biden’s tech agenda gets a reality check as Elon Musk buys Twitter (Washington Post)

·         [PERSONAL INFORMATION] Grindr User Data Was Sold Through Ad Networks (WSJ)

·         [PERSONAL INFORMATION] Thomson Reuters to review contracts, including for database used to track immigrants (Washington Post)

·         [PRIVACY/CENSUS] What Did the 2020 Census Teach Us? We Might Not Know Until 2023. (NYT)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Meta Pledges to Tighten Financial Ad Rules, FCA Chief Says (Bloomberg)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] Apple hit with EU antitrust charge over mobile payments technology (Reuters)

·         [CENSORSHIP] Romania must reject Hungary-style anti-LGBT bill, rights groups say (Reuters)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] Musk’s Twitter deal stirs fears of abuse in Asia, Middle East (Reuters)

·         [FREE SPEECH] China’s Covid Lockdown Outrage Tests Limits of Triumphant Propaganda (NYT) 

·         [CENSORSHIP] North Korea’s ‘nascent hacker underground’ playing ‘cat and mouse’ with regime (Financial Times)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Haugen: Europe Is Making Social Media Better Without Curtailing Free Speech. The U.S. Should, Too. (NYT)

(April 26 – May 2, 2022)

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has today (April 28, 2022) deposited with the Registrar judgments in the following leave applications.
  • [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY/COPYRIGHT] Anderson T. Walcott v. Toronto Transit Commission (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39992): The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number C68252, 2021 ONCA 358, dated May 28, 2021 is dismissed with costs.
  • [DEFAMATION] ​​Kipling Warner v. Kevin Hobbs, Lisa Cheng and Vanbex Group Inc. (B.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39922): 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 British Columbia (Vancouver), Number CA46644, 2021 BCCA 290, dated July 21, 2021, is dismissed with costs.

Canadian Heritage

• Four independent organizations will provide COVID-19 transitional support to self-employed cultural workers in the live performing arts sector
• The Government of Canada provides nearly $1.9 million to the University of Sudbury
• Members of the Survivor-led Steering Committee for the Residential Schools National Monument announced
• National Culture Summit to focus on recovery, long-term growth, and competitiveness of the arts, culture and heritage sectors
• Itinerary for the National Culture Summit: The Future of Arts, Culture and Heritage in Canada
• Government of Canada supports French-language post-secondary education in Sudbury

Competition Bureau 

• Competition Bureau resolves its concerns in misleading weight loss claims case

Innovation, Science and Economic Development 

• Government of Canada endorses the Declaration for the Future of the Internet
• Minister Champagne highlights two IP-related initiatives to mark World Intellectual Property Day
• Government of Canada invests over $5 million to bring high-speed Internet to 7,339 households in Alberta

Office of the Privacy Commissioner 

• Privacy regulators call for legal framework limiting police use of facial recognition technology

• Privacy Commissioner of Canada to appear before committee examining facial recognition technology

CRTC

    Decisions

• 2022-111 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Sydney and Northeast Margaree, Nova Scotia – Application to change the authorized contours of CBHF-FM Northeast Margaree, a rebroadcasting transmitter of the English-language radio station CBI Sydney

YouTube

• Sharing urgent health information across borders and languages 

Meta

• Building AI That Processes Language as People Do

Microsoft

• A vital step at a critical moment: The Declaration for the Future of the Internet
• The hybrid war in Ukraine
•  A competitiveness bill is good for universities, industry and America

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today the list of appeals that will be heard from May 9 to May 20, 2022.
  • [SEARCH AND SEIZURE: ELECTRONIC DEVICES] Corporal C.R. McGregor v. Her Majesty the Queen (C.M.A.C.) (Criminal) (By Leave) (39543)   

Senate of Canada

Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate meets all week.

• Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
  • May 4, 2022, 4:00 PM ET: Bill S-208, An Act respecting the Declaration on the Essential Role of Artists and Creative Expression in Canada
• Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications
  • May 4, 2022, 6:30PM ET: Study the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors and the consequential impacts on their interdependencies

Canadian House of Commons

Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The House meets all week.

• Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI)
  • May 2, 2022, 11AM ET: Use and Impact of Facial Recognition Technology
• Official Languages (LANG)
  • May 4, 2022, 3:30PM ET: Government Measures to Protect and Promote French in Quebec and in Canada
• International Trade (CIIT)
  • May 4, 2022, 3:30PM ET: Canada’s Exports of Environmental and Clean Technology Goods and Services

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 2 to 6 May 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decision:

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBQT-FM Thunder Bay – New transmitter in Ear Falls
  Public record: 2022-0104-4

Upcoming hearings

• May 12, 2022: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-62 (broadcasting licence application)

Public Consultations

• CRTC: Video Relay Service Review (Mar 11, 2021-May 16, 2022)
• CRTC: Call for comments – Introduction of a three-digit abbreviated dialing code for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services (Nov 30, 2021 to Jan 31, 2022) (Mar 29, 2022 to Apr 30, 2022)
• Canadian Heritage: Be Part of the National Action Plan on Combatting Hate (Complete online questionnaire by May 8, 2022.)
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Mar 31, 2022 to Apr 29, 2022)
• Proposed requirements respecting police record checks for individuals involved in the provision of services governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998. Comments due: May 4, 2022                  
• CBC/Radio-Canada engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada about better reflecting Indigenous cultures (April 26 – September 27, 2022)

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings 
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public consultations

• Stakeholder engagement on fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news media: Closed Consultation 
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Open – Accepting Input)
• Proposed requirements respecting police record checks for individuals involved in the provision of services governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998.

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