Weekly Newsletter for June 13, 2023
Weekly News (June 13, 2023)
Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory
(June 7 – June 12, 2023)
Canadian News
- [BROADCAST REGULATION] CRTC erred in its decision on Radio-Canada N-word broadcast, court finds (CBC News)
- [ONLINE NEWS BILL] Minister challenges senators to stand up to tech giants on bill C-18, as PM accuses them of ‘bullying tactics’ (The Globe and Mail)
- [ONLINE NEWS BILL] Trudeau shows no interest in compromising with Meta, Google over online news bill (CBC)
- [ONLINE STREAMING BILL] Minister gives CRTC direction on the manipulation of algorithms (Globe and Mail)
- [ONLINE STREAMING BILL] Liberals to direct CRTC to keep hands off social media with streaming regulation (National Post)
- [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Opposition MPs call on government to fix broken access to information system (Globe and Mail)
- [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Alberta’s refusal to share FOI data highlights gaps in access to information (Globe and Mail)
- [PRIVACY] Cybergang behind N.S. breach says it erased stolen data, but experts urge caution (CBC)
- [PRIVACY] Privacy commissioner urges ‘guardrails’ on using forensic genealogy to catch criminals (The Globe and Mail)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION/LABOUR] Unions aim to protect workers from AI – but struggle to keep up (The Globe and Mail)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/SURVEILLANCE] AI security is coming to Pearson this summer (Toronto Star)
- [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Rogers pitches framework to enter arbitration if no deal is made to access Toronto subway system (The Globe and Mail)
- [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Rogers’ proposed TTC framework commits to consultations, but short on details (Toronto Star)
- [ONLINE NEWS BILL] OPINION: Chris Pedigo: Why Canada needs the Online News Act (The Record)
- (ONLINE NEWS BILL) OPINION: Sylvain Poisson and Benoit Chartier:Time to stand up to web giants and save local news (National Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Jordan Richard Schoenherr: Governments and industry must balance ethical concerns in the race for AI dominance (The Conversation)
- [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Steve de Eyre: Banning TikTok adds to spreading of misinformation (Toronto Star)
- [HATE SPEECH] OPINION: Laura Elliott: Educators facing unacceptable threats for supporting LGBTQ students, staff (Toronto Star)
- [HARMFUL CONTENT/ADVERTISEMENTS] OPINION: Fred Youngs: Sports betting ads targeting kids (Hamilton Spectator)
International News
- [PRIVACY/SURVEILLANCE]U.S. Spy Agencies Buy Vast Quantities of Americans’ Personal Data, U.S. Says (Wall Street Journal)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] UN chief backs idea of global AI watchdog like nuclear agency (Reuters)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] U.S. Congress to consider two new bills on artificial intelligence (Reuters)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] The Senate is dialing up its AI work — but taking its time ; Lawmakers are lining up hearings and briefings, but legislation may not be imminent. (Washington Post)
- [DATA PRIVACY] Denmark looks to curb collection of data on children by Big Tech (Reuters)
- [PRIVACY/SURVEILLANCE] Inside the debate over Section 702 (Washington Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/HARMFUL CONTENT] FBI says artificial intelligence being used for ‘sextortion’ and harassment (Reuters)
- [PRIVACY/FACE RECOGNITION] Campaigners urge London food banks to end use of face scans (The Guardian)
- [DEFAMATION/FREE SPEECH] In Thailand, Defamation Lawsuits Can Make Free Speech Costly for Critics (New York Times)
- [FREE SPEECH] Veteran Russian rights campaigner Orlov goes on trial for discrediting army (Reuters)
- [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/CONTENT MODERATION] Reddit Communities Go Dark in Protest Against CEO and Developer Fees (Wall Street Journal)
- [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/ACCESS] American Tech Giants Are Slowly Cutting Off Hong Kong Internet Users (Wall Street Journal)
- [HARMFUL SPEECH/PLATFORM REGULATION] Trump charges will test social media rules on violent rhetoric (Washington Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] California Democrat readies House legislation to prevent ‘abuse’ of AI tools (Washington Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OpenAI CEO Calls for Collaboration With China to Counter AI Risks (Wall Street Journal)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION/[HARMFUL SPEECH] Wellness Chatbot Is Taken Offline After Distributing ‘Problematic’ Eating Advice (New York Times)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Silicon Valley Confronts the Idea That the ‘Singularity’ Is Here (New York Times)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIAS] What Happens When A.I. Enters the Concert Hall (New York Times)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] Viral Pentagon explosion hoax took off from pro-Russian accounts (Washington Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] DeSantis ushers in our fake-images-in-politics nightmare ; The DeSantis campaign used what appear to be AI-generated images of Donald Trump and Anthony Fauci hugging. And it’s unapologetic about crossing a line. (Washington Post)
- [CYBERSECURITY] What to know about Beijing’s alleged Cuba spy station (Washington Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Lawyer Who Used ChatGPT Faces Penalty for Made Up Citations (New York Times)
- [CYBERSECURITY/PRIVACY] Illinois among victims of ransomware attack State IT agency says systems hit by syndicate in May (Chicago Tribune)
- [ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS] Twitter’s U.S. Ad Sales Plunge 59% as Woes Continue (New York Times)
- [COPYRIGHT] Marvel settles with four artists in superhero copyright fight (Reuters)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Jacinda Ardern: Here’s a model for governing AI (Washington Post)
- [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Robert Wright: AI has become dangerous. So it should be central to foreign policy. (Washington Post)
- [COPYRIGHT/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: Richard Meyer: The Supreme Court Is Wrong About Andy Warhol (New York Times)
- [CENSORSHIP/PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Philip Hamburger: How the Government Justifies Its Social-Media Censorship (Wall Street Journal)
- [PRIVACY] OPINION: Julia Angwin: One of the Last Bastions of Digital Privacy Is Under Threat (New York TImes)
(June 7 – June 12, 2023)
Supreme Court of Canada
- [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Albert Bellemare c. Barreau du Québec – et – Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (Qc) (Civile) (Autorisation) (40461): The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Quebec (Montréal), Number 500-09-029939-220, 2022 QCCA 1255, dated September 20, 2022, is dismissed.
Federal Court of Appeal
- [BROADCAST REGULATION] Société Radio-Canada v. Canada (Attorney General)
Competition Bureau Canada
Democratic Institutions
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
- Governments of Canada and British Columbia invest over $3 million to bring high-speed Internet to more than 800 households
- Government of Canada invests in responsible artificial intelligence research at the Université de Montréal
Canadian Heritage
- Canada elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
- Government of Canada outlines proposed directions for the Online Streaming Act to set the stage for equitable, flexible and adaptable regulation
Information Commissioner of Canada
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
- Vicky Eatrides to the Banff World Media Festival
- Nirmala Naidoo to the Annual Conference of the National Campus and Community Radio Association
- Claire Anderson to the Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2023
- Releases
- Broadcasting notice of consultation 2023-138-1
[2023-06-09 14:00:00]
Notice of hearing – 20 November 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec – The Path Forward – Working towards a modernized regulatory framework regarding contributions to support Canadian and Indigenous content – Extension to the deadlines for the submission of interventions and of replies - Broadcasting decision 2023-177
[2023-06-08 11:00:00]
Total Change Christian Ministries – Campbell River, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of the low-power, English-language commercial specialty (Religious music) radio station CHVI-FM Campbell River - Broadcasting decision 2023-176
[2023-06-08 11:00:00]
Radio Markham York Incorporated – Markham, Ontario – Application to operate an FM transmitter in Pickering, Ontario, to rebroadcast the programming of the English-language commercial radio station CFMS-FM Markham - Telecom order 2023-175
[2023-06-07 11:00:00]
Broadband Fund – Acceptance of statement of work for We’koqma’q First Nation and Seaside Communications Inc.’s access project in Nova Scotia – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372 - Broadcasting decision 2023-174
[2023-06-07 11:00:00]
Bethany Pentecostal Tabernacle – Whitehorse, Yukon – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the low-power, English-language specialty (Religious music) radio station CIAY-FM Whitehorse - Broadcasting decision 2023-173
[2023-06-07 11:00:00]
Wilderness Ministries Inc. – Nipawin, Saskatchewan – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial specialty (Religious music) radio station CIOT-FM Nipawin - Broadcasting decision 2023-172
[2023-06-07 11:00:00]
United Christian Broadcasters Media Canada – Various locations in Ontario – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial specialty (Religious music) radio stations listed in the decision - Telecom order 2023-171
[2023-06-07 11:00:00]
Amendments to wholesale roaming service tariffs to reflect Commission determinations regarding seamless roaming and 5G networks – Public records: Bell Mobility Tariff Notices 5A and 5B; RCCI Tariff Notices 72A and 72B; and TCI Tariff Notice 564 - Broadcasting decision 2023-170
[2023-06-02 11:00:00]
Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta – Calgary and Medicine Hat, Alberta – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the Indigenous (Type B Native) radio station CJWE-FM Calgary in order to operate a new transmitter - Telecom decision 2023-169
[2023-06-02 11:00:00]
Review of the wholesale high-speed access service framework – Reduction of traffic-sensitive costs – Public record: 1011-NOC2023-0056 - Broadcasting notice of consultation 2023-129-1
[2023-06-01 11:00:00]
Notice of hearing – 6 July 2023 – National Capital Region – Additional documents added to the public record for item 4 - Broadcasting decision 2023-168
[2023-06-01 11:00:00]
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Trois-Rivières and Clova, Quebec – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the French-language radio station CBF-FM-8 Trois-Rivières - Broadcasting decision 2023-167
[2023-06-01 11:00:00]
Bell Media Inc. – Various locations in British Columbia and Quebec – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the commercial radio stations listed in the decision - Broadcasting decision 2023-166
[2023-06-01 11:00:00]
Bell Media Regional Radio Partnership – Various locations in British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision - Broadcasting decision 2023-165
[2023-06-01 11:00:00]
Bell Media Radio Atlantic Inc. – Various locations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision
- Broadcasting notice of consultation 2023-138-1
Amazon
Senate of Canada
- Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The Senate will sit from June 13 to June 15, 2023, with possible sitting days on June 16 and 19, 2023.
House of Commons
- Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The House of Commons will sit from June 13 to 16, 2023 with a possible extension of sitting hours. The House will also sit on June 19, 2023 with a possible extension of sitting hours.
CRTC
- Anticipated Releases for the week of June 12 to 16, 2023: The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 12 to 16 June 2023. This is subject to change without notice.
- Broadcasting Decisions:
- Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various radio stations
- MusiquePlus inc. Across Canada ELLE Fictions and MAX – Administrative renewals
- Broadcasting Decisions:
Open 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: Contributions to the Canadian Broadcasting System (Deadline: July 11, 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
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