Weekly Newsletter for August 15, 2023

Weekly News (August 15, 2023)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Manveetha Muddaluru with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(August 9 – August 14, 2023)

Canadian News

• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Broadcasters and publishers ask Competition Bureau to probe Meta’s news blocking (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Innovation Minister accused of ‘inappropriate’ support for Competition Bureau complaint (Globe and Mail) 
• [DISINFORMATION] Canada Says China Likely Behind a Disinformation-Campaign Targeting Lawmaker (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] Ottawa accidentally posts AI consultation; Voluntary code  (National Post) 
• [POLICING/FREEDOM OF PRESS] RCMP has no national policy on policing media at protest sites: FOI (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Some news outlets report difficulty posting on Meta apps amid restriction rollout  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] No joke: Satirical websites get caught up in Meta’s quest to block news in Canada  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Police using social media accounts as Meta begins blocking news for Canadians  (Toronto Star) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Nova Scotia premier considering public alert changes after flood warning came two hours late (Globe and Mail) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Highest court refuses to hear appeal from B.C. churches opposed to COVID-19 ruling  (Toronto Star) 
• [FREEDOM OF RELIGION/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Religious group sues Quebec government for blocking event over abortion concerns  (Toronto Star) 
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION] Pierre Poilievre is a big fan of online petitions. Here’s how he’s used them to his advantage  (Toronto Star) 
• [PRIVACY/BIOMETRIC DATA] How you walk could shape the future of biometrics: experts (Toronto Star)  
• [PRIVACY/CYBERSECURITY] Cyberattack on government service provider exposes records of 1.4 million Albertans  (Toronto Star) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Canadian background actors say AI could improve profession, but pay must be fair (City News Toronto) 
• [ONLINES NEWS ACT] OPINION: Konrad Yakabuski: Meta is not the biggest threat to Canadian newspapers (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] OPINION: Thomas Walkom: In the fight between Big Tech and Big Media, who will you support?  (Toronto Star) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] OPINION: Dvai Ghose: CRTC should not have sided with Quebecor against Rogers in network access ruling (Globe and Mail) 
• [COPYRIGHT] OPINION: Charlotte Gray: Canadian writers can’t afford to write non-fiction anymore – and that’s a problem for all of us (Globe and Mail)
• [TECH INDUSTRY/LABOUR] OPINION: David Olive: How Canada poached 10,000 tech workers from the U.S. — in just 48 hours  (Toronto Star)

International News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Biden order will propose new restrictions on China technology investment. (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY] US watchdog to announce plans to regulate ‘surveillance industry’ (Reuters) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CENSORSHIP] When Tragedy Strikes in China, The Government Represses Grief (New York Times) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Banned in Kuwait, ‘Barbie’ Sparks Delight, and Anger, in Saudi Arabia (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] China to require all apps to share business details in new oversight push (Reuters) 
• [DISINFORMATION] In Sweden, Fighting Lies From Russia (New York Times) 
• [DATA/CYBERSECURITY] Corporate Data Transfers to Russia Likely Violate EU Privacy Rules, Regulator Warns  (Wall Street Journal) 
• [DATA/PLATFORM REGULATION] Meta, Alphabet and Other Tech Firms Face New Data Rules in India (Wall Street Journal) 
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] UK defends plan to demand access to encrypted messages to protect children (Reuters) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Public data getting harder to find in Mexico, civil rights group says (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] FEC taking up AI in political ads again, but rules still in limbo ; The commission is poised to kickstart debate but political hurdles remain. (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Stanford University just schooled Congress on AI (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CYBERSECURITY] The Biden administration wants to put AI to the test for cybersecurity (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIAS] Tutoring firm settles US agency’s first bias lawsuit involving AI software (Reuters) 
• [COMPETITION] Amazon to Meet With FTC Officials Ahead of Expected Antitrust Complaint (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Biden Administration Urges Justices to Hear Cases on Social Media Laws (New York Times) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION] Biden administration urges Supreme Court to block Texas social media law (Washington Post) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Trump’s Lawyers Argue Protective Order Would Violate His Free-Speech Rights (Wall Street Journal) 
• [FREEDOM OF THE PRESS] Raid on Small Kansas Paper Swept Up Information on Police Chief (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION ] Lack of Transparency Spurs Jails Suit Against New York (New York Times) 
• [PRIVACY] California Roads Could Soon Have Cameras Issuing Speeding Tickets (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]  Amid Sextortion’s Rise, Computer Scientists Tap A.I. to Identify Risky Apps (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI is giving deceased or missing kids a voice they didn’t ask for (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Turns out there’s another problem with AI – its environmental toll (The Guardian) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Hospital bosses love AI. Doctors and nurses are worried. (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CYBERSECURITY] AI Is Generating Security Risks Faster Than Companies Can Keep Up (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/LABOUR] Hollywood Studios Resume Talks With Writers to End Monthslong Labor Dispute (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Striking Hollywood writers expected to respond to studios’ proposal (Reuters)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/HARMFUL SPEECH] AI is acting ‘pro-anorexia’ and tech companies aren’t stopping it (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Twitter gutted its policy team. Some of the band is getting back together. ; Former executives are launching a new advisory firm post-Elon Musk. (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY] Over free speech objections from ACLU, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs measure that targets doxxing (Chicago Tribune) 
• [PRIVACY] A Cautionary Tale From Venmo: Your Sensitive Data Is Out There  (New York Times) 
• [PRIVACY] Zoom’s updated TOS prompted concerns about AI and privacy. Can the two go hand-in-hand? (USA Today)  
• [CONTENT MODERATION] In Musk era, Black Twitter searches for a new soapbox (Washington Post) 
• [HARMFUL SPEECH/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: Rachel Chiu: The Constitution Protects ‘Harmful’ Speech (Wall Street Journal) 

(August 9 – August 14, 2023)
 

Supreme Court of Canada:

• The Supreme Court of Canada has today deposited with the Registrar judgments in the following leave applications.
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Brent Smith, et al. v. Attorney General of British Columbia, et al. (British Columbia) (Civil) (By Leave) (40622)
    • The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (Vancouver), Number CA47363, 2022 BCCA 427, dated December 16, 2022, is dismissed.
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Trinity Bible Chapel, et al. v. Attorney General of Ontario, et al. (Ontario) (Civil) (By Leave)(40711)
    • The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number C70528, 2023 ONCA 134, dated March 1, 2023, is dismissed with costs.

Global Affairs Canada:

• Rapid Response Mechanism Canada detects information operation targeting member of Parliament

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Spectrum Outlook 2023 to 2027
• Government of Canada releases updated plan to put spectrum to work for Canadians

CRTC:

• Broadcasting decision 2023-253
  [2023-08-14 11:00:00]
  CHMZ-FM Radio Ltd. – Tofino, British Columbia – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial radio station CHMZ-FM Tofino
• Telecom order 2023-252
  [2023-08-14 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1183
• Broadcasting decision 2023-251
  [2023-08-14 11:00:00]
  Stoke FM Radio Society – Revelstoke, British Columbia – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the very low-power, English-language community FM radio station VF2590 Revelstoke
• Broadcasting decision 2023-250
  [2023-08-11 11:00:00]
  CKUA Radio Foundation – Edmonton and other locations in Alberta – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the English-language specialty commercial radio station CKUA-FM Edmonton and its transmitters
• Telecom order 2023-249
  [2023-08-11 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership, TN 573; Bell MTS Inc., TN 856; DMTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 88; KMTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 99 and Télébec, Société en commandite, TN 545
• Broadcasting decision 2023-248
  [2023-08-10 11:00:00]
  Rogers Media Inc. – Kitchener, Ontario – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial radio station CIKZ-FM Kitchener – Application to delete a condition of service
• Broadcasting decision 2023-247
  [2023-08-09 11:00:00]
  Sher-E-Punjab Radio Broadcasting Inc. – Vancouver, British Columbia – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the ethnic commercial AM radio station CKSP Vancouver

Senate of Canada

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The Senate will not sit during the week August 14 to 18, 2023. The Senate is adjourned until September 19, 2023.

House of Commons

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: the House of Commons will not sit during the week of August 14 to 18, 2023. The House is adjourned until Monday, September 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 14 to 18 August 2023:
  • Broadcasting Decisions:
    • Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licenses for various radio and TV stations
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Consultation on amendments to the Patent Rules – Planned: Aug 7, 2023 to Sept 8, 2023 
• Bill S-242 – An Act to amend the Radiocommunication Act – Briefings for Stakeholders – Open: Aug 10, 2023 to Aug 22, 2023
• Development of a Canadian code of practice for generative AI – Open: Aug 4, 2023 to Sept 14, 2023

Canadian Heritage

• Engagement sessions with Canadian book publishers and book industry stakeholders – Planned: May 30, 2023 to Sept 29, 2023 

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

• Creating Canada’s 6th National Action Plan on Open Government – Planned: Sept 1, 2023 to Oct 31, 2023

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