Weekly Newsletter for August 7, 2024

Weekly News (August 07, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(July 31 – August 7, 2024)

Canadian News

• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Ottawa says Meta may still see Online News Act regulation — but CRTC wants more proof (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE ADVERTISING] Google surcharge on Canadian ads provokes mixed reviews from businesses, experts (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] ‘Extremely bad news’: Canadians are encountering fewer legitimate news sources on social media, study finds  (Toronto Star) 
• [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Postmedia offers to purchase Atlantic Canada’s largest newspaper chain for $1 million  (Toronto Star) 
• [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Expert blasts Postmedia’s Saltwire deal (Toronto Star)  
• [PRIVACY/DATA BREACH] Average data breach costs Canadian organizations $6.32-million, IBM study shows (Globe and Mail) 
• [FOREIGN INTERFERENCE] New law could mean jail terms for sharing military secrets (Globe and Mail) 
• [LIBEL] MPP Sarah Jama’s threat of defamation lawsuit against Doug Ford expires  (Toronto Star) 
• [HATE SPEECH]  They watched anti-trans protesters go after a school board. Here’s how they’re helping future targets fight back  (Toronto Star) 
• [PRIVACY] Ticketmaster privacy breach raises question of identity monitoring services: Are they worth it? (Globe and Mail) 
• [PRIVACY/DATA BREACH] Federal privacy commissioner launches investigation into Ticketmaster data breach  (Globe and Mail) 
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] More than 5,500 people call on Ottawa to ease artists’ tax burdens (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Ottawa becomes the latest city to turn to AI to help it predict chronic homelessness (Globe and Mail) 
• [INTERNET POLICY] OPINION: Cory Doctorow:  Five tech companies are the undead monsters ruling our days. Let’s knock them over and take back what’s ours  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] OPINION: Andrew Coyne: Please stop helping us: the newspaper bailout is a comprehensive policy failure  (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] OPINION: Sophia Melanson Ricciardone: How AI bots spread misinformation online and undermine democratic politics  (The Conversation) 
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Blayne Haggart: Landmark monopoly ruling against Google vindicates everything Ottawa has been doing (Globe and Mail) 

International News

• [ANTITRUST] Google is an illegal monopoly, federal court rules (Washington Post) 
• [ANTITRUST]  Google’s Antitrust Loss Set to Reshape Search and Mobile Industries (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM REGULATION] After Google Antitrust Ruling, Here’s Where Other Big Tech Cases Stand (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Turkey blocks access to Instagram. It’s in response to removal of posts on Hamas chief, reports say (Associated Press) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] With Smugglers and Front Companies, China Is Skirting American A.I. Bans (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] In A.I. Gap, China Gains On the U.S.  (New York Times) 
• [INTERNET POLICY] Indonesia bans search engine DuckDuckGo on gambling, pornography concerns (Reuters) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION] The U.K. Riots Were Fomented Online. Will Social Media Companies Act? (New York Times) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/ELECTION] Elon Musk Criticizes Venezuela After Disputed Election, Agrees to Fight President (Wall Street Journal) 
• [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] CNET to Be Sold to Ziff Davis in Sign of Possible Media Deals to Come  (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COMPETITION] New Google hires fuel concerns of AI dominance  (Washington Post) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/ELECTION MISINFORMATION] Secretaries of state urge Musk to fix AI chatbot spreading false election info  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Struggling AI Startups Look for a Bailout from Big Tech (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COMPETITION] US progressives push for Nvidia antitrust investigation (Reuters) 
• [HARMFUL CONTENT/CONTENT MODERATION] Meta Has Run Hundreds of Ads for Cocaine, Opioids and Other Drugs (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT/LAWSUIT] Elon Musk Revives Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Sam Altman (New York Times) 
• [SURVEILLANCE] US expected to propose barring Chinese software in autonomous vehicles (Reuters)  
• [CONTENT MODERATION/CENSORSHIP] Russia accuses YouTube of censoring content at Washington’s behest (Reuters) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION] Elon Musk Clashes With Keir Starmer Over Riots in Britain (New York Times)
• [DATA PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] U.S. Sues TikTok Over Child Privacy Violations (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] Grassley calls for OpenAI to prove it’s not silencing staff over safety concerns   (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY/LAWSUIT] Google loses bid to question Texas in state’s biometric privacy lawsuit (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/LABOUR] Hollywood Editors Are Facing A Growing Challenge From A.I.  (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT/LAWSUITS] Music labels’ AI lawsuits create copyright puzzle for courts (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]  Meta in Talks To Use Voices Of Celebrities For Chatbots  (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/JOURNALISM] Atlantic writers push back on AI  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/ACADEMIC DISHONESTY] There’s a Tool to Catch Students Cheating With ChatGPT. OpenAI Hasn’t Released It. (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google pulls Olympics ad with father using AI to help daughter write a fan letter to track star  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] What do people really ask chatbots? It’s a lot of sex and homework  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] When A.I. Fails the Language Test, Who Is Left Out of the Conversation? (New York Times) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] OPINION: Editorial Board: The Constitution and Your Cellphone Bill (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Letters to the Editor: There’s no way for humanity to win an AI arms race (Washington Post) 
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Adam Lashinsky:  The Google decision is the right ruling — at the wrong time (New York Times) 

(July 31 – August 7, 2024)

Global Affairs Canada

• News Release:
  • Canada and United States conclude negotiations on Technology Safeguards Agreement 

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• News Release:
  • Privacy Commissioner launches investigation into Ticketmaster breach 

Canadian Heritage 

• News Release:
  • Helping Canadians identify misinformation online 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms
  • Telecom order 2024-177
    [2024-08-06 11:00:00]
    Determination of Costs Award – Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the proceeding initiated by Bell Canada’s application for mandatory and injunctive orders in respect of Rogers Communications Canada Inc. to ensure timely access for all Canadians to wireless services on the Toronto Transit Commission – File numbers: 8620-B2-202303858 and LCD 4754-719
  • Compliance and Enforcement decision 2024-176
    [2024-08-06 11:00:00]
    1256456 British Columbia Ltd., doing business as Marketise Solutions Inc. – Violations of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules – File number: PDR 9174-3175
  • Telecom order 2024-175
    [2024-08-01 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership, TN 581
  • Telecom order 2024-174
    [2024-08-01 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves the following tariff applications: Bell Canada, TN 985 and TN 7693

Meta

•  Review of Fact-Checking Label and Meta AI Responses  

Microsoft

• Protecting the public from abusive AI-generated content  

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will not be sitting the week of August 5 – 9, 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 August 5 – 9, 2024. The next scheduled sitting day is September 16, 2024.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 5 to 9 August 2024:
  • The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 5 to 9 August 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  

• Consultation on a Policy, Licensing and Technical Framework for Supplemental Mobile Coverage by Satellite – closing date for comments: September 13, 2024 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Call for comments on the Independent Local News Fund – Deadline for submission of comments: 6 September 2024 

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

• Broadcasting and Online News Act notice of consultation 2024-143 [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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