Weekly Newsletter for June 4, 2024

Weekly News (June 4, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(May 29 – June 4, 2024)

Canadian News

• [BROADCAST REGULATION] Consumers may face higher prices after streaming giants told to invest $200-million in Canadian film, TV and music (Globe & Mail)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Ottawa issues ‘sunset clauses’ for historical records access (Globe and Mail) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Access to Information plan includes administrative steps but no legislative changes (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY/CONTENT REGULATION] Senate bill’s age verification proposals for ‘sexually explicit material’ could apply to Netflix: privacy commissioner (National Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS ACT] Justice minister says Online Harms Act leaves room for age-appropriate design options (Globe and Mail) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/EDUCATION] Ontario education minister criticizes school boards for lawsuits against social media companies (Globe and Mail) 
• [CYBERATTACK] Email inboxes, ‘sensitive personal information’ accessed in B.C. government hack (Global News) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] Canadian Music Week tackles artificial intelligence (Globe and Mail) 
• [POLICING/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Evolving police tech or ‘slippery slope’? Facial recognition partnership in Peel and York has critics concerned  (Toronto Star) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] Major sporting events a prime target for cybercriminals, federal centre warns (CTV News) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] Taking a byte out of cybercrime  (Toronto Star) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Police will only clear U of T encampment with court order (CBC) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Pro-Palestinian encampment at McMaster University ending, school says (CBC) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/POLICING] Edmonton project to create handbook to help combat extremism  (Globe and Mail) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] As Oilers make a push for the Stanley Cup Final, playoff hockey begins to disappear from CBC (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Bryan Adams accuses Trudeau government of penalizing ‘artists for multiculturalism.’ Heritage minister responds (National Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS ACT] OPINION: Bruce Pardy: Rise of the all-powerful administrative state heralded Canada’s internet crackdown (National Post) 
• [ALGORITHMS/COMPETITION] OPINION: Vass Bednar: Algorithms are raising prices for everything. This must stop (Globe and Mail) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/HATE SPEECH] OPINION: Howard Levitt: Free speech does not trump other rights (Financial Post) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] OPINION: Campbell Clark: National-security intelligence is bogged down in an amateur-hour paper chase (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] OPINION: Jaime Watt: Canada needs to become a world leader in the AI economy but first we need to build public support  (Toronto Star) 
• [ELECTION SECURITY] OPINION: Jared Wesley & Alex Ballos: Alberta’s voter ID law is a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist  (The Conversation) 

International News

• [CYBERSECURITY/ELECTIONS] EU struggles to counter Russian election disinformation (Reuters)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] EU watchdog says banks must take full responsibility when using AI (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok offered an extraordinary deal. The U.S. government took a pass. (Washington Post) 
• [INTERNET POLICY] As China’s Internet Disappears, ‘We Lose Parts of Our Collective Memory’ (New York Times) 
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Privacy watchdog facing questions over aborted TikTok probe (The Sydney Morning Herald) 
• [HATE SPEECH/PLATFORM REGULATION] U.S. presses TikTok, Meta and X to crack down on antisemitic posts, Bloomberg News reports (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DISINFORMATION]  OpenAI finds that its tech fuels global propaganda  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OpenAI responds to warnings of self governance by former board members, the Economist reports (Reuters) 
• [HATE SPEECH] On Facebook, some pro-Palestinian groups have become a hotbed of antisemitism, study says (USA Today) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/DISINFORMATION] Meta Takes Down ‘Inauthentic’ Accounts on Facebook, Instagram Linked to Israeli Firm (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] The Opaque Investment Empire Making OpenAI’s Sam Altman Rich (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES] California advances measures targeting AI discrimination and deepfakes (Associated Press) 
• [CYBERSECURITY/DATA PRIVACY] Ticketmaster confirms hack which could affect 560m (BBC) 
• [CYBERSECURITY/DATA PRIVACY] Christie’s website hack shows how art world has become target for cybercrime (The Guardian) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] What to Know About the Open Versus Closed Software Debate (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES] AI Fake Nudes Are Now a Frightening Reality for Teens (Wall street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] What a viral, fake image of Rafah tells us about AI propaganda (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] Google Rolls Back A.I. Search Feature After Flubs and Flaws (New York Times) 
• [ELECTIONS/DISINFORMATION] Once a Sheriff’s Deputy in Florida, Now a Source of Disinformation From Russia (New York Times) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] The Battle Over College Speech Will Outlive the Encampments (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ELECTIONS] OPINION: Josh Tyrangiel: Why this year’s election interference could make 2016 look cute (Washington Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS] OPINION: Joel Thayer: Enlist the App Stores to Protect Kids Online (Wall Street Journal) 
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Helen Toner & Tasha MCauley: AI firms mustn’t govern themselves, say ex-members of OpenAI’s board (The Economist) 
• [DISINFORMATION] OPINION: Bina Venkataraman: What’s the best way to fight viral disinformation? Look to South Florida.  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] OPINION: Gus Carlson: So it begins: OpenAI, Scarlett Johansson and artificial-intelligence bootlegging (Globe and Mail) 

(May 29 – June 4, 2024)

Federal Court of Canada

• [COPYRIGHT]  1395804 Ontario Ltd. (Blacklock’s Reporter) v. Canada (Attorney General) 

Democratic Institutions

• Statement on the Tabling of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ Report on the 43rd and 44th Federal General Elections 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Minister Champagne to participate in a discussion on productivity and AI growth in Canada 
• Backgrounder: Government of Canada to bring high-speed Internet access to Saskatchewan communities 

Communications Security Establishment Canada

• Cyber Centre publishes report on cyber threats to major international sporting events 

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Commissioners launch joint investigation into company that does background checks 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• News Releases
  • Vicky Eatrides to the Radiodays North America conference 
  • CRTC requires online streaming services to contribute to Canada’s broadcasting system 
• Broadcasting and Telecoms 
  • Broadcasting regulatory policy 2024-121
  • [2024-06-04 08:50:00]
  • The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous content through base contributions 
  • Telecom order 2024-120
    [2024-05-31 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1216
  • Telecom order 2024-119
    [2024-05-30 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1214

Meta

•  The Future of Facebook  

Microsoft

• How Russia is trying to disrupt the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

OpenAI

• Disrupting deceptive uses of AI by covert influence operations
•  A content and product partnership with The Atlantic
• A Content and Product Partnership with Vox Media  

TikTok

• Strengthening our approach to countering influence attempts 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will sit from June 4 – 6, 2024, with a possible sitting day on June 7, 2024.
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (TRCM): Bill S-269, An Act respecting a national framework on advertising for sports betting – Tuesday, June 4, 2024 
    •  Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (TRCM): Bill S-269, An Act respecting a national framework on advertising for sports betting – Tuesday, June 5, 2024  
    •  
  • Bills on the Agenda
    • C-288: An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act (transparent and accurate broadband services information) – at third reading in the Senate 

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will sit from June 3 – 7, 2024.
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC): Question of Privilege Related to Cyber Attacks Targeting Members of Parliament – Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  
    • Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC): Question of Privilege Related to Cyber Attacks Targeting Members of Parliament – Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  
    • Public Safety and National Security (SECU): Bill C-70, An Act respecting countering foreign interference – Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 3 to 7 June 2024. This is subject to change without notice.
  • The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous content through base contributions Public record: 1011-NOC2023-0138

• Upcoming Hearings
  • June 28, 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-72, View hearing documents (2023-72)                
  • July 6, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-129, 2023-129-1  View hearing documents (2023-129)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

·         Call for comments – Co-development of an Indigenous Broadcasting Policy – July 22, 2024 2024-67

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

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