Weekly Newsletter for August 27, 2024

Posted on August 30, 2024

Weekly News (August 27, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(August 21 – 27, 2024)

Canadian News

[FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Professor asks Canada’s top court to review law curbing spy watchdog members (Yukon News)
[NATIONAL SECURITY/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] National security agencies should explain how they’re using AI: federal advisory body (CBC)
[FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Right to enjoy property doesn’t trump freedom of expression: ‘Freedom Convoy’ defence (CTV)
[ONLINE HARMS] As hate-crime landscape evolves, a reminder — online behaviour exists in real life (Vancouver Sun)
[FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] How transparent is your city? Audit of freedom of information requests finds vast differences (Globe and Mail)
[CYBERATTACK] Hamilton cyberattack: 61 per cent of affected applications restored (Hamilton Spectator)
[DATA BREACH] Park’N Fly reveals data breach affecting 1 million customer files (CBC)
[PRIVACY] B.C. police drop surnames in missing person alerts to avoid ’negative lasting impact’ (Vancouver Sun)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES] Most Canadians have spotted deepfakes online, while 23 per cent see them weekly, study shows (Globe and Mail)
[PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Sonja Macdonald: It’s time for a local Hamilton CBC radio station (Hamilton Spectator)
[PRIVACY/FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] OPINION: Kelly McParland: Whatever the request, Liberals opt for secrecy (National Post)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Kevin Walby, Gustavo da Costa Markowicz & Oluwasola Mary Adedayo: AI used by police cannot tell Black people apart and other reasons Canada’s AI laws need urgent attention (The Conversation)
[DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY] OPINION: Mark Pound: World Senior Citizen’s Day: We must enhance digital accessibility for the aging populations (Hamilton Spectator)

International News

[HATE SPEECH] Curb hate speech after riots, UN committee urges Britain (Reuters)
[PLATFORM REGULATION] Meta, Spotify CEOs take aim at European AI regulations (Reuters)
[PLATFORM REGULATION/CONTENT MODERATION] Mark Zuckerberg Says White House Was ‘Wrong’ to Pressure Facebook on Covid (Wall Street Journal)
[PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE HARMS] How Telegram’s Founder Went From Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg to Wanted Man (New York Times)
[DATA PRIVACY] Uber fined in Netherlands for sending drivers’ data to the US (Reuters)
[PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE HARMS] Arrest of Telegram’s Durov inflames debate over online crime and free speech (Washington Post)
[PRIVACY] Privacy regulator drops pursuit of Clearview AI as Greens call for more scrutiny on use of Australians’ images (The Guardian)
[COMPETITION/ONLINE ADS] Tech companies rally behind FTC’s crackdown on fake reviews ; Google is endorsing the plan, which bans deceptive reviews designed to trick consumers. (Washington Post)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] China’s AI Engineers Are Secretly Accessing Banned Nvidia Chips (Wall Street Journal)
[DISINFORMATION] How Russian Trolls Are Trying to Go Viral on X (Wall Street Journal)
[PLATFORM REGULATION] How a Law That Shields Big Tech Is Now Being Used Against It (New York Times)
[PLATFORM REGULATION/LAWSUIT] U.S. Accuses Software Maker RealPage of Enabling Collusion on Rents (New York Times)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OpenAI supports California AI bill requiring ‘watermarking’ of synthetic content (Reuters)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ELECTIONS] As misinformation spreads through the U.S. with the help of AI, voters struggle to decipher truth from fiction (Globe and Mail)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ELECTIONS] Company that sent AI calls mimicking Joe Biden to New Hampshire voters agrees to pay US$1-million fine (Globe and Mail)
[COPYRIGHT] Authors sue Claude AI chatbot creator Anthropic for copyright infringement (ABC News)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ELECTIONS] The Year of the A.I. Election That Wasn’t (New York Times)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION / ELECTIONS] Social platform X edits AI chatbot after election officials warn that it spreads misinformation (City News Toronto)
[ONLINE NEWS/JOURNALISM] Google Joins $250 Million Deal to Support Newsrooms in California (New York Times)
[PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] Uber Fined $324 Million by Dutch Watchdog Over Driver Data Protection (New York Times)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/POLICING] Police officers are starting to use AI chatbots to write crime reports. Will they hold up in court? (NBC News)
[PLATFORM REGULATION/TIKTOK BAN] In a Likely Overture to China, Nepal Lifts Ban on TikTok (New York Times)
[DEFAMATION] Trump Finds a New Media Foe in ABC News as Debate Drama Mounts (Wall Street Journal)
[PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] How Elon Musk Got Tangled Up in Blue (New York Times)
[PLATFORM REGULATION] The Facebook problem that only hurts Australians (The Sydney Morning Herald)
[CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] Who is Pavel Durov? What to know about Russian-born Telegram owner arrested in France (USA Today)
[FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Telegram Becomes Free Speech Flashpoint After Founder’s Arrest (New York Times)
[ONLINE HARMS/HATE SPEECH] They Spouted Hate Online. Then They Were Arrested. (New York Times)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES] Regulators May Not Like ‘Deepfakes,’ But Businesses Are Using Them Anyway (Wall Street Journal)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] AI Regulation Is Coming. Fortune 500 Companies Are Bracing for Impact. (Wall Street Journal)
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DISINFORMATION] OPINION: Editorial Board: From Iran and Russia, the disinformation is now. The target: America. (Washington Post)
[ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Editorial Board: How government can cut kids’ social media use without doing more harm (Washington Post)
[COMPETITION/PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Julia Angwin: Breaking Up Google Isn’t Nearly Enough (New York Times)

(August 14 – 20, 2024)

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Minister Tassi to highlight CMC Microsystems’ and McMaster University’s collaboration in support of semiconductor manufacturing and commercialization

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

Broadcasting and Telecoms
- Telecom order 2024-189
  [2024-08-26 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis, by majority decision, the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1225
- Telecom order 2024-188
  [2024-08-23 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Rogers Communications Canada Inc., on behalf of 676766 Ontario Limited operating as KWIC Internet, TN 2
- Broadcasting decision 2024-187
  [2024-08-22 11:00:00]
  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Prince George and Mackenzie, British Columbia – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the English-language radio station CBYG-FM Prince George
- Telecom order 2024-186
  [2024-08-22 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: OpenMobile Inc., TN 1, TN 1A and TN 1B
- Telecom order 2024-185
  [2024-08-22 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Bell Canada, TN 984
- Telecom order 2024-184
  [2024-08-22 11:00:00]
  Determination of Costs Award with respect to the participation of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the proceeding initiated by Beanfield Technologies Inc.’s application regarding the multiple dwelling unit bulk agreements practices of Rogers Communications Canada Inc. – File numbers: 8622-B75-202305466 and 4754-723
- Telecom order 2024-183
  [2024-08-21 11:00:00]
  9163-7918 Québec inc. (CoopTel) – Introduction of Local Service Request Rejection Charge – Public records: Tariff Notices 10, 10A, and 10B

Meta

Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada will decide the following leave applications at 9:45 a.m. ET on Thursday, August 29, 2024. This list might change. […]
- [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Régis Beniey v. Ministre de la Sécurité publique et de la Protection civile

Senate of Canada

The Senate sitting and possible sitting days: The Senate will not be sitting the week of August 26-30, 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 26-30, 2024. The next scheduled sitting day is September 16, 2024.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission