Weekly News (May 24, 2023)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(May 16  – May 23, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [DEFAMATION] Supreme Court of Canada ruling protects ‘counterspeech’ from defamation lawsuits (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Film, TV and music funds to be modernized, with new ones created, after Bill C-11 approval (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/PLATFORM REGULATION] MPs seek joint committee with British Parliament to summon Facebook boss (Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS MERGER/COMPETITION] Quebecor and Rogers head to arbitration with CRTC over MVNO terms (Globe and Mail) 
• [Foreign Interference/Cybersecurity] David Johnston rejects public inquiry, accuses Canada’s spies of mismanaging foreign interference info (Toronto Star) 
• [DEFAMATION] Former Conservative senator Linda Frum wins defamation case she says was designed to silence her (Globe and Mail) 
• [PRIVACY/DATA LEAK]Mackenzie Investments clients still seeking answers and support after data breach (Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/LAWSUIT] Ontario, Bell won’t say how much money they made from inmate phone calls (CTV)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/ACCESSIBILITY] Mobile carriers urged to improve accessible phone plans for deaf and blind Canadians (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Bell, Telus seek government support to ensure customer access to Rogers network in Toronto subway (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Editorial Board: Forget a robot takeover. Flawed AI is racist and sexist. Government must regulate it. (Toronto Star) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Don Tapscott: Why the explosive rise of generative AI underscores the need for a reimagined social contract (Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) OPINION: Ian Robertson: Soon, artificial intelligence will be running companies – rise of the robo-director (Globe and Mail) 
• [COMPETITION/INNOVATION] OPINION: Alan Bernstein and Janice Stein: Canada’s science and tech ecosystem will define our success in the next century (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] MYERS: Busting barriers: How Keziah Myers is opening doors for Black music professionals (Globe and Mail) 
• [COPYRIGHT/EDUCATION] OPINION: Kate Taylor: Copyright loophole for education should be plugged (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] OPINION: Burgess: Online Streaming Act: As we revisit Netflix support for Canadian content, it’s about more than money  (The Conversation) 

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Meta Is Fined $1.3 Billion Over E.U. Privacy Rules (New York Times)  
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] US Supreme Court leaves protections for internet companies unscathed (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Supreme Court Delivers 2 Wins To Tech Giants (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Supreme Court ruling in Twitter, Google cases puts Congress in bind ; By not weighing in on the law, lawmakers are left to settle their concerns. (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/DEFAMATION] Fight against misinformation tests the limits of defamation law in U.S. (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] These lawmakers say Montana’s TikTok ban likely won’t stick (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] EU’s Breton: TikTok still a long way from EU rules compliance  (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/FREE SPEECH] TikTok sues Montana to block ban, citing First Amendment (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/DIGITAL RIGHTS] How Governments Are Trying to Keep Young Children Off Social Media, From Face Scans to ID Checks (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] ChatGPT chief says artificial intelligence should be regulated by a U.S. or global agency (Globe and Mail) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Exclusive: Italy watchdog to review other AI systems after ChatGPT brief ban (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]  Regulators dust off rule books to tackle generative AI like ChatGPT (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE NEWS] Swiss gov’t favors compensation for journalistic ‘snippets’ posted by online services (AP News) 
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] In Battle Over A.I., Meta Decides to Give Away Its Crown Jewels (New York Times) 
• [CENSORSHIP] The largely forgotten book ban case that went up to the Supreme Court (Washington Post) 
• [HARMFUL SPEECH] French Open offers players protection against online harassment (Toronto Star) 
• [HARMFUL SPEECH] 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Lawmakers convene hearing on AM radio phaseout ; The move could prevent Americans from receiving emergency notifications and stifle political discourse, lawmakers say (Washington Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS] Surgeon General Warns That Social Media May Harm Children and Adolescents 
• [CYBERSECURITY] A cyber scare for public transit ; An apparent breach at Washington, D.C.’s transit agency shows how vulnerable public transit can be to hacks.  (Washington Post) 
• (New York Times) Extremism Finds Fertile Ground in Chat Rooms for Gamers (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google’s Photo App Still Can’t Find Gorillas. And Neither Can Apple’s. (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] Explosion near Pentagon never happened, officials say, after fake AI picture circulated online (USA Today) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] ‘Deepfake’ scam in China fans worries over AI-driven fraud (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] Content Generated By A.I. Found On News Sites (New York Times)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Biden Administration Developing National AI Strategy (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION]  G7 calls for developing global technical standards for AI  (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] The debate over whether AI will destroy us is dividing Silicon Valley (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Striking Writers are Worried about A.I. Viewers Should Be, Too (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/LABOUR PROTECTIONS] A.I.’s Threat to Jobs Prompts Question of Who Protects Workers (New York Times) 
• [SURVEILLANCE] FBI’s Misuse of Foreign Spying Law Complicates the Push to Renew It  (Wall Street Journal)  
• [SURVEILLANCE] Cyber experts say controversial U.S. spying powers should stay — but with some revisions ; More than 60 percent of cyber experts who responded to a Cybersecurity 202 survey said they’d alter the authorities, known as Section 702, before re-upping them. (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Chris Stokel-Walker: European regulators signal they are fed up with Facebook  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Bina Venkataraman: The court got Google right. Now Congress must act. (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Peter Coy: To See One of A.I.’s Greatest Dangers, Look to the Military (New York Times) 

(May 16  – May 23, 2023)

Supreme Court of the United States of America

• [PLATFORM LIABILITY] Gonzalez v. Google LLC 
• [COPYRIGHT] ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR VISUAL ARTS, INC. v. GOLDSMITH  

Supreme Court of Canada 

• The Supreme Court of Canada has today deposited with the Registrar judgments in the following appeal.
  • Judgement in Appeal: [DEFAMATION] Glen Hansman v. Barry Neufeld – and – Attorney General of British Columbia, QMUNITY, Skipping Stone Scholarship Foundation, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Community-Based Research Centre, Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity, West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund, B.C. General Employees’ Union, Egale Canada and Centre for Free Expression (B.C.) 2023 SCC 14 / 2023 CSC 14  

Federal Court of Appeal 

• Bell Canada v. Adwokat, 2023 FCA 106, A-285-21: Bell Canada, Bell Expressvu Limited Partenership, Bell Media Inc.,Groupe TVA inc., Videotron ltd., Rogers Communications Canada inc., and Rogers Media inc.  

Competition Bureau 

• Why Canada needs an urgent competition upgrade 

CRTC

• Speeches:
  • Bram Abramson to the 2023 Canada Rural & Remote Broadband Conference 

Democratic Institutions 

• Government of Canada announces measures to protect by-elections from foreign interference 

Copyright Board Canada

• Status Update on Modernization Initiative 

Meta

• Reimagining Our Infrastructure for the AI Age

Senate of Canada

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The Senate will sit from May 30-31, 2023
  • Meetings
    • Transport and Communications: Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada: May 30, 2023 at 9:00 AM ET 
    •  Transport and Communications: Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada: Wednesday May 31, 2023 at 6:45 PM ET 

House of Commons

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The House of Commons will sit from May 29  to May 31, 2023.
  • News Releases
    • Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship: Interim Report, A Threat to Canadian Sovereignty: National Security Dimensions of the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship  
  • Meetings
    • National Defence (NDDN): Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare: Tuesday May 30, 2023 at 3:30 pm- 5:30pm (EDT)  

CRTC

• Anticipated Releases for the week of May 22 to 26, 2023: The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 22 to 26 May 2023. This is subject to change without notice:
• Broadcasting Decisions:
  • Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various radio stations
  • Kenner Media (Edmonton) Ltd. Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
    CKFT-FM Fort Saskatchewan – Acquisition of assets Public record : 2022-0878-5
  • Pattison Media Ltd.  Brandon, Manitoba
    CKLF-FM Brandon, and CKLQ-FM Brandon and its transmitter CKLQ Brandon – Acquisition of assets  Public record: 2022-0668-0

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public Consultations:

• CRTC
  • Regulatory Plan to modernize Canada’s broadcasting system
  • Planned: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-138: The Path Forward – Working towards a modernized regulatory framework regarding contributions to support Canadian and Indigenous content: Deadline for submission of interventions: 27 June 2023  
  • Open: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2023-139: Call for comments – Proposed Regulations for the Registration of Online Streaming Services and Proposed Exemption Order regarding those Regulations (Deadline: June 12, 2023) 
  • Open: Share your comments on the review of the Broadband fund (start date March 23, 2023 to July 21, 2023) 
  • Open: Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-325-2:Broadband Fund – Third call for applications – Changes to procedure
  •  Open: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2023-140:Call for comments – Review of exemption orders and transition from conditions of exemption to conditions of service for broadcasting online undertakings Deadline: June 12, 2023

Have a suggestion? Email Sara Bannerman at banners@mcmaster.ca 

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