Weekly Newsletter for February 21, 2024

Weekly News (February 21, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(February 14 – 21, 2024)

Canadian News 

• [PRIVACY/POLICING] Privacy Commissioner raises concerns over RCMP’s use of private tech to surveil web  (Globe and Mail) 
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Secret Canada: An ‘ill-founded setback’ for freedom of information at the Supreme Court (Globe and Mail)
• [INTERNET POLICY] Blocking Pornhub access in Canada an option, owners say. Here’s why (Global News) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] TekSavvy ‘running on hope’ as it urges CRTC to allow wholesale fibre internet access (Globe and Mail)  
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Rogers urges CRTC to prioritize costs of companies that build internet networks  (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Bell wants conditions if CRTC mandates wholesale internet access (Global News) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Air Canada chatbot promised a discount. Now the airline has to pay it (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY] Inadequate security led to federal breach that compromised Canadians’ info: Watchdog (Toronto Sun) 
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Quebec parents demand $1.4-million from teacher, school board for stolen intellectual property (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] First Nations, Jim Balsillie slam government over lack of consultation on AI bill (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] N.B. government remains too secretive: ombud (Penticton Herald) 
• [PRIVACY]  LCBO plan to scan customer photo ID at stores in northern Ontario called a sweeping privacy violation (Toronto Star)  
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION]  ‘Deep concerns’: Legal experts criticize Alberta’s plans for transgender youth  (Toronto Star) 
• [DEFAMATION] Human-rights groups decry rising trend of corporate SLAPP lawsuits (Globe and Mail) 
• [PRIVACY] ArriveCan probes show Ottawa must fix error-filled public contract database: Procurement Ombud (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI use is rapidly growing in Ontario classrooms. How should school boards deal with it? (Toronto Star) 
• [BROADCASTING/FRENCH LANGUAGE] OPINION: Peter Menzies: Quebec’s plan to introduce its own streaming rules will be a minefield for the CRTC (Globe and Mail)
• [MEDIA] OPINION: Louis Audet: What justification is there for not changing tax laws to help Canadian media? (Globe and Mail) 
• [MEDIA] OPINION: Marla Boltman:  Turn anger into action and save our news  (Toronto Star) 
• [MEDIA] OPINION: Mark Sikstorm:  What do Bell Media’s massive cuts mean for the future of broadcast news?  (Toronto Star) 
• [JOURNALISM] OPINION: Brent Jolly, Ethan Cox, Andrea Houston: By detaining journalists doing their job, police in Canada threaten the public interest (Globe and Mail) 
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Raymond A. Patterson, Hooman Hidaji, Niam Yaraghi, Ram, Gopal, Sule Nur Kutlu: To protect user privacy online, governments need to reconsider their use of opt-in policies (The Conversation) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY] OPINION: Vinay Menon:  Your new AI girlfriend doesn’t love you. She’s just monetizing you  (Toronto Star) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] OPINION: Kelly Cryderman: The coming AI wave is more like a tsunami (Globe and Mail) 
• OPINION: Surbhi Kalia and Paula Rochon:  Why artificial intelligence needs to consider the unique needs of older women  (The Hamilton Spectator) 

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Senate poised to pass biggest piece of tech regulation in decades (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Is Subject of E.U. Inquiry Over ‘Addictive Design’ (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CYBERSECURITY] North Korea and Iran using AI for hacking, Microsoft says (The Guardian) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ELECTIONS] Tech giants pledge crackdown on 2024 election AI deepfakes. Will they keep their promise? (USA Today) 
• [PRIVACY] EU privacy watchdogs urged to oppose Meta’s paid ad-free service (Reuters) 
• [PRIVACY] When Eyes in the Sky Start Looking Right at You (New York Times) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/DISINFORMATION] Fake accounts, many from China, are thriving on X  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TechScape: Why the EU is taking a €500m bite out of Apple (The Guardian) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] US House forms AI task force as legislative push stalls (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OpenAI shows off lifelike videos generated by Sora, its new AI tool (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] OpenAI, Meta and other tech giants sign effort to fight AI election interference (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google and Anthropic Are Selling Generative AI to Businesses, Even as They Address Its Shortcomings (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY]Facial Recognition: Coming Soon to an Airport Near You (New York Times) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] ‘Most Wanted’ Man Pleads Guilty in Cyberattack That Upended Vermont Hospital (New York Times) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] U.S. Disrupts Hacking Operation Led by Russian Intelligence (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Reddit signs content licensing deal with AI company ahead of IPO, Bloomberg reports (Reuters) 
• [LAWSUIT]  Timeline of the Assange legal saga as he makes a final bid to avoid extradition to the US  (Toronto Star) 
• [CENSORSHIP] Apple’s app store is a digital nanny state. Do we like it that way? (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL DEFENCE] How Silicon Valley learned to love America, drones and glory  (Washington Post) 
• [HARMFUL CONTENT/CONTENT MODERATION] ‘A Band-aid approach’ How harassment of women and Black online gamers goes on unchecked (USA Today) 

(February 14 – 21, 2024)

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Completed projects from the OPC’s Contributions Program’s 2022-2023 cycle explore the impact of privacy issues on diverse groups 
• Investigations highlight need for stronger measures to protect privacy at federal departments and agencies 
• Special Report to Parliament:  Investigation of the RCMP’s collection of open-source information under Project Wide Awake 
• Special Report to Parliament:  Investigation of unauthorized disclosures and modifications of personal information held by Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada resulting from cyber attacks 

Competition Bureau 

• Opening Statement to the Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-56 

Canadian Heritage

• Government of Canada invests in renovation of Francophone postsecondary institutions in Ontario 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

• Bram Abramson to the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Providers 
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
• Telecom order 2024-37[2024-02-15 11:00:00]Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Northwestel Inc., TN 1204, TN 1205 and TN 1206
• Telecom order 2024-36[2024-02-14 11:00:00]Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: TELUS Communications Inc., TN 662
• Telecom decision 2024-35[2024-02-12 11:00:00]Forbearance from the regulation of high-capacity / digital data services interexchange private line services on certain additional routes – Public record: 8638-S1-01/98
• Telecom order 2024-34[2024-02-12 11:00:00]Broadband Fund – Holdback report for Tough Country Communications Ltd.’s British Columbia transport fibre project – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecom order 2024-33[2024-02-12 11:00:00]Distributel Communications Limited – Request to revise the interim access rates for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access services – Public record: 8662-D11-202201424
• Broadcasting decision 2024-32[2024-02-09 11:00:00]Corus Television Limited Partnership – Toronto, Ontario – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the discretionary service BC News 1, by amending the condition of service relating to the broadcast of advertising material
• Broadcasting decision 2024-31[2024-02-09 11:00:00]Stingray Radio Inc. – Drumheller, Alberta – Application for a new broadcasting licence to operate an English-language commercial FM radio station in Drumheller
• Broadcasting decision 2024-30[2024-02-09 11:00:00]U Multicultural Inc. – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate a multilingual community television station in Winnipeg
• Broadcasting decision 2024-29[2024-02-09 11:00:00]U Multicultural Inc. – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language community FM radio station in Winnipeg
• Broadcasting decision 2024-28[2024-02-09 11:00:00]Gospel Music Radio Inc. – Oromocto, New Brunswick – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language commercial speciality (Religious music) FM radio station in Oromocto
• Broadcasting decision 2024-27[2024-02-09 11:00:00]Maritime Broadcasting System Limited – Sussex, New Brunswick – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language commercial FM radio station in Sussex
• Telecom regulatory policy 2024-26[2024-02-05 11:00:00]Implementing thousand-block pooling – Public record: 1011-NOC2023-0092
• Telecom notice of consultation 2024-25[2024-02-05 11:00:00]Call for comments – Attachment of wireless facilities on support structures owned or controlled by incumbent local exchange carriers – Public record: 8690-Q15-202002674, 8622-R28-202004365, 8690-R28-202304468 and 1011-NOC2024-0025
• Telecom order 2024-24[2024-02-05 11:00:00]Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1200
• Telecom order 2024-23[2024-02-01 11:00:00]Streamlined order – The Commission approves the following tariff application: Bell Canada, TN 7680
• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2023-138-2[2024-02-01 11:00:00]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 – Deadline for the filing of final written submissions

Amazon 

• A blueprint for private and public sector partnership to improve product safety for consumers 

Microsoft 

• Meeting the moment: combating AI deepfakes in elections through today’s new tech accord 

OpenAI 

• Disrupting malicious uses of AI by state-affiliated threat actors 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will not sit the week of February 19 – 23, 2024. The Senate will sit on Monday February 26, 2024. 

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will not sit  the week of February 19 – 23, 2024. The House of Commons will sit on Monday February 26, 2024.
  • Meetings:
    • Public Accounts (PACP): Report 1, ArriveCAN: Wednesday, February 21, 20224, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  
    • Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO): ArriveCAN Application: Wednesday, February 21, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00  
    • Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) ArriveCAN Application: Thursday, February 22, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 19 to 23 February 2024:
  • The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 19 to 23 February 2024. This is subject to change without notice.
• Upcoming Hearings
  • February 23, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-331, 2022-331-1
    View hearing documents (2022-331)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Statistics Canada:

·         Census Data on Demand (CDOD) program consultative engagement – March 31, 2024

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

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