Weekly Newsletter for July 16, 2024

Weekly News (July 16, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(July 10 – 16, 2024)

Canadian News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] Can AI be an author? Federal Court asked to decide in new copyright case (CTV) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DISINFORMATION] Canada warns of AI-driven Russian ‘bot farm’ spreading disinformation online (CBC)
• [ONLINE HARMS ACT] Controversy over new human rights chief threatens support for online harms bill (Globe and Mail) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC/Radio-Canada board approves bonuses for 2023-24 (National Post) 
• [COMPETITION]  Industry minister suggests Competition Bureau look at digital wallets  (Toronto Star) 
• [MEDIA] Media companies win court injunction against sports-streaming pirates (CTV News) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE HARMS]  ‘Through the roof’: Hamilton police see surge in reported child sexual exploitation  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [MEDIA/LABOUR] Corus Entertainment says ongoing job cuts will amount to 25% of full-time positions (CTV) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/LABOUR] ‘Anti-scab’ law could wreak havoc on Canadian telecom networks during strikes, industry warns  (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] New poll finds that half of Canadians are concerned about generative artificial intelligence and the spread of misinformation (Financial Post) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Cogeco mum on Canadian wireless launch after introducing mobile service in U.S.  (Globe and Mail) 
• [CELLPHONE BAN]  Prince Edward Island to restrict cellphone access in classrooms starting September  (Toronto Star) 
• [PRIVACY] Design of websites and apps makes protecting privacy harder: Privacy Commissioner  (Toronto Star) 
• [CYBERATTACK] Ticketmaster warns Canadians of data breach involving customer information (Financial Post) 
• [CYBERSECURITY]  Public health at risk for another cyberattack  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CAMPUS PROTESTS]  U of T encampment court ruling could affect future campus protests, experts say  (Toronto Star) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CAMPUS PROTESTS] With most campus pro-Palestinian encampments gone, protesters look to the future (CityNews) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Michael Geist: There’s a global plan to tax Big Tech. Why did Canada act alone with digital services tax? (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Sam Andrey and Charles Finlay:  What Scarlet Johansson can teach us about taking on AI  (Toronto Star)
•  [BROADCASTING] OPINION: Peter Menzies: Broadcasting reform in Canada is going as expected – which is to say, badly (Globe and Mail) 

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] F.T.C. Bars Anonymous Messaging App From Serving Users Under Age 18 (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] China Puts Power of State Behind AI—and Risks Strangling It (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION/COMPETITION] Microsoft Faces U.K. Antitrust Probe Over Ties to Inflection AI (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CYBERSECURITY]  US lawmakers raise worries about China in Microsoft deal with Emirati AI firm (Reuters) 
• [ANTITRUST] Google Close to Its Biggest Acquisition Ever, Despite Antitrust Scrutiny (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] Trump allies draft AI order to launch ‘Manhattan Projects’ for defense  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Democrats decry FCC commissioner’s Project 2025 involvement ; Republican Brendan Carr’s plan for the agency to target tech giants is prompting backlash from consumer advocates.  (Washington Post) 
• [DISINFORMATION] U.S. and Allies Take Aim at Covert Russian Information Campaign (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE HARMS]  OpenAI promised to make its AI safe. Employees say it ‘failed’ its first test.  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OpenAI whistleblowers ask SEC to investigate alleged restrictive non-disclosure agreements (Reuters) 
• [COPYRIGHT] Internal Disney Communications Leaked Online After Hack (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY] Pakistan authorises spy agency to intercept phone calls (Reuters)  
• [TECH LOBBYING] Silicon Valley Wins Few Government Contracts (Wall Street Journal) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Elon Musk’s X Hit by EU Charges Over Blue Checkmarks (Wall Street Journal) 
• [MISINFORMATION] Liars and trolls overwhelm social media after Trump rally shooting  (Washington Post) 
• [CYBERATTACK] What AT&T Customers Need to Know About the Massive Hack, Data Breach (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ELECTIONS/MISINFORMATION] Even Disinformation Experts Don’t Know How to Stop It (New York Times)
• [CONTENT MODERATION]  Meta rolls back restrictions on Trump’s social media accounts  (Washington Post) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/HATE SPEECH] Meta Expands Policy to Remove More Posts Attacking ‘Zionists’ (Bloomberg) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIAS] Workday must face novel bias lawsuit over AI screening software (Reuters) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/DISINFORMATION] Elon Musk Couldn’t Beat Him. AI Just Might (Wired) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION] A grieving mom’s TikTok videos spark online speech battle 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COMPETITION] Microsoft ditches OpenAI board observer seat to stave off antitrust scrutiny (Reuters) 
• [CENSORSHIP] OPINION: Editorial Board: In China, nothing is free at Apple’s App Store  (Washington Post) 

(July 10 – 16, 2024)

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 

• News Release:
  • Alberta Commissioner to join investigation into background check company 

Competition Bureau Canada

• News Release:
  • Heski Bar-Isaac joins Competition Bureau as Special Economic Advisor for Digital and Platform Markets 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Government of Canada appoints Vice-Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Copyright Board of Canada 
• Bell Canada Petition:
  • Petition to the Governor in Council concerning Telecom Decision CRTC 2023-358 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms
  • Broadcasting information bulletin 2024-159
    [2024-07-15 11:00:00]
    Decision of the Broadcasting Arbitrator
  • Telecom order 2024-158
    [2024-07-15 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves the following tariff application: Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 864
  • Telecom decision 2024-157
    [2024-07-12 11:00:00]
    The Westport Telephone Company, Limited (operating as WTC Communications) – Implementation of local competition for Bell Canada in the exchange of Westport, Ontario – Public record: 8663-W3-202400373

OpenAI 

• OpenAI and Apple announce partnership to integrate ChatGPT into Apple experiences 

Microsoft

• Combatting AI Deepfakes: Our Participation in the 2024 Political Conventions 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will not be sitting the week of July 15 – 19, 2024. The next scheduled sitting day is September 17, 2024.

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will not be sitting the week of July 15 – 19, 2024. The next scheduled sitting day is September 16, 2024.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 15 to 19 July 2024:
  • The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 15 to 19 July 2024. This is subject to change without notice. 

• Upcoming Hearings
  • September 14, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-206, View hearing documents (2023-206)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Spectrum Management Consultations

•   Consultation on a Policy, Licensing and Technical Framework for Supplemental Mobile Coverage by Satellite  – Closing date for comments: September 13, 2024. Closing date for reply to comments: October 25, 2024

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

•  Right to Repair Consultation – Closing date for comments: September 26, 2024. 

•  Consultation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Compute – Closing date for comments: September 6, 2024  

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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

• Share your thoughts about Google’s exemption application under the Online News Act

• Broadcasting and Online News Act notice of consultation 2024-143-1 [2024-07-09 11:00:00
  • Call for comments – Application for exemption from the Online News Act by Google – Extension to the deadlines for the submission of documents requested in question 10, of comments and of replies

• New deadline for submission of documents requested in question 10: 15 July 2024

• New deadline for submission of comments: 6 August 2024

• New deadline for submission of replies: 19 August 2024

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