Weekly Newsletter for September 26, 2023

Weekly News (September 26, 2023)

Compiled by Ian Steinberg with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(September 20 – September 26, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [PRIVACY] Canada Post breaking law by gathering info from envelopes (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Alberta rejects requests for data on freedom of information system a second time (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada led to allegations around Sikh killing, official says (AP)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Canada launches UN online news declaration (National Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Rebel News argues lawn signs during election were ‘tongue firmly in cheek’; ‘Guerrilla marketing campaign’ (National Post)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Most Canadians view about Online News Act is news should be free, survey suggests (CTV) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] ‘Ground zero of the culture wars’; Demonstrators on both sides of the issue came out in strong numbers for Hamilton rally about gender education (Hamilton Spectator)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Canadian documentaries soar at TIFF, but new report warns of huge financing challenges (Globe and Mail)
• [MEDIA INDUSTRY/LABOUR] TIFF 2023: Hollywood strikes don’t address unique challenges faced by Canadian BIPOC creators (Global News)
• [PRIVACY] Opinion: Howard Levitt and Muneeza Sheikh: Babcock incident a reminder that employees’ personal lives should stay that way (National Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Opinion: Julia Malott: I am transgender and I felt welcomed at parents’ rights protest (National Post)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] UK’s new online safety law adds to crackdown on Big Tech companies (Globe and Mail)
• [ANTITRUST] DuckDuckGo founder says Google’s phone and manufacturing partnerships thwart competition (AP)
• [ANTITRUST] Deals over search on Apple products key to antitrust case (Washington Post)
• [CENSORSHIP] GOP legal attacks create a chilling effect on misinformation research (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Pennsylvania state government will prepare to start using AI in its operations (AP)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Billions to Give Rural America Fast Internet May Fall Far Short (New York Times)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/TECH LOBBYING] The Billionaire Keeping TikTok on Phones in the U.S. Financier Jeff Yass made a big bet on the app, and he’s a top donor to lawmakers who support it (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY] Florida prisons turning to AI to monitor calls from inmates (Tampa Bay Times]
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Ethiopian Facebook campaign for migrant workers enables human trafficking, forced labour in Saudia Arabia, advocates say (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Indonesia imprisons a woman for saying a Muslim prayer before eating pork in a TikTok video (AP)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Battles Against Bans in Africa — Continent becomes latest front in fight following scrutiny in U.S. and Europe (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and more authors sue OpenAI for copyright infringement (AP)
• [MEDIA INDUSTRY/LABOUR] Here is the latest on the tentative deal with the Writers Guild of America (New York TImes)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Amazon investing up to $4B in AI startup (Bloomberg) 
• [DEFAMATION] Netflix can be sued by ex-Central Park Five prosecutor for defamation(Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] 400-Pound N.Y.P.D. Robot Gets Tryout in Times Square Subway Station (New York TImes)
• [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox, News Corp(Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] Photo giant Getty took a leading AI image-maker to court. Now it’s also embracing the technology (AP)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Meta to Push for Younger Users With New AI Chatbot Characters (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OpenAI unveils DALL-E 3, newest version of its AI image generator. What does this mean for human artists? (Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Microsoft adding AI across platforms; Updated software will include Office, Windows, Bing (Bloomberg)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google brings its Bard to AI battle; Chatbot can mine users’ data in their online accounts (AP)

(September 20 – September 26, 2023)

Canadian Media Fund

• CMF Annual Report 2022-2023 Released 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

• Commission Letters
  • Secretary General Letter addressed to Helen Kennedy (Egale Canada)

• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom order 2023-325
    [2023-09-25 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund – Change request – Northwestel Inc.’s satellite project in Old Crow, Yukon – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0191 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-324
    [2023-09-25 11:00:00]
    Various licensees – Across Canada – Applications to revoke the broadcasting licences issued for the discretionary services VRAK and ESPN Classic 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-323
    [2023-09-22 11:00:00]
    11733630 Canada Inc. – Saint-Raymond-de-Portneuf, Québec – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the French-language commercial radio station CHOC-FM Saint-Raymond-de-Portneuf in order to operate a new transmitter in Neuville 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-322
    [2023-09-20 11:00:00]
    Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Application to amend conditions of service 59 to 62 regarding consultations with Indigenous Peoples, set out in Appendix 3 to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Various audio and audiovisual services – Licence renewals, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-165 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-321
    [2023-09-20 11:00:00]
    Radio Boréale – Amos and Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec – Application to operate an FM transmitter in Rouyn-Noranda to rebroadcast the programming of the French-language community radio station CHOW-FM Amos 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-320
    [2023-09-20 11:00:00]
    Radio Boréale – Amos and La Sarre, Quebec – Application to operate an FM transmitter in La Sarre to rebroadcast the programming of the French-language community radio station CHOW-FM Amos

Global Affairs

• Joint Statement by Canada and the Netherlands on the launch of the Global Declaration on Information Integrity Online

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• OPC’s annual report highlights efforts to protect privacy in a data-driven world

Amazon

•  An update on Prime Video (Ads coming to Prime Video)

Google

• Google at the 2023 United Nations General Assembly

Meta

• You Can Now Have Multiple Personal Profiles on Facebook

Microsoft

• Business, labor, and others join to support Microsoft’s position in FTC appeal

OpenAI

• ChatGPT can now see, hear, and speak

Senate of Canada

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: September 26 to September 29, 2023

House of Commons

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: September 25 to September 29, 2023
  • (INDU) Bill C-27, Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022. Sept 26, 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
  • (ETHI) Foreign Interference, Sept 27, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 25 to 30 September 2023: 
  • No anticipated releases
• Upcoming Hearings
  • October 13, 2022 – Gatineau Quebec

To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-201, 

View hearing documents (2022-201)

o    November 18, 2022 – Gatineau Quebec

To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-248,

View hearing documents (2022-248)

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings

• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Competition Bureau

• Canada’s Competition Summit 2023 to explore policy approaches to unlock competition October 5, 2023

Consultations:

Canadian Heritage

·         Regulations Respecting the Application of the Online News Act, the Duty to Notify and the Request for Exemptions: 30-day consultation – open to October 2, 2023 (Canada Gazette)

·         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

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

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