Weekly Newsletter for December 10, 2024

Weekly News (December 10, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Faezeh Daemi with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(December 04 – 10, 2024)
Canadian News

• [ONLINE HARMS BILL] Online harms bill to be split in two after being stuck in Commons, held up by filibustering (Globe and Mail) 
•  [ONLINE HARMS BILL] Put politics aside and act on online harms, mother of sextortion victim tells MPs  (Toronto Star) 
• [PRIVACY] Supreme Court of Canada says opioid crisis justifies warrantless invasions of privacy in some cases (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/FEDERAL FUNDING] Ottawa unveils up to $240-million in funding to help AI company Cohere build data centre (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] With employees in limbo, TikTok hoping for ‘solution’ to Ottawa’s shutdown order  (Globe and Mail) 
• [HATE SPEECH/ONLINE HARMS]  A wave of South Asian racism is sweeping Canada — and the Liberals’ missteps on immigration helped fuel the problem  (Toronto Star) 
• [PRIVACY] Watchdog concerned as privacy bill passes Alberta legislature to end fall sitting (CBC) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Western Canadian business groups launch legal challenge against Ottawa’s anti-greenwashing rules (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE HARMS BILL]  Put politics aside and act on online harms, mother of sextortion victim 
• [MEDIA/MERGER] How many jobs did Rogers drop after the Shaw takeover? Figures suggest more than 3,000 (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] Do AI-generated images deserve copyright protection? A Canadian court challenge is putting that claim to the test (Globe and Mail) 
• [INDIGENOUS BROADCASTING]  CRTC approves Uvagut TV as Canada-wide Inuktut channel  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Proposed class-action lawsuit accuses companies of price-fixing rents in Canada (CBC) 
• [MEDIA/COMPETITION] BCE and its dividend: Mea culpa or mea double down? (Globe and Mail)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]  Air Canada has been rolling out facial recognition software in Toronto and Vancouver. Here’s why some experts are concerned  (Toronto Star) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] A high-tech medical clinic operated by a telecom giant has opened in Toronto – and it’s accepting up to 6,000 patients  (Toronto Star) 
• [FREEDOM OF THE PRESS/HATE SPEECH] Don’t compel towns to fly Pride flags; Flag-raisings are political expressions, not services (National Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] ‘I wish I’d thought about safety earlier,’ Nobel Prize winner Hinton says (Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Geoffrey Hinton,AI pioneer and University of Toronto professor, receives Nobel Prize in physics (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY]  ‘Reckless’ privacy breach: Confidential videos of DARTS riders posted online  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COMPETITION]  AI-generated holiday cards spark backlash for market vendors; Seller understands artists’ concerns, but won’t stop  (Toronto Star)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] The fight to look inside the shrouded folder St. Catharines council makes it hard for you to see (The Canadian Press)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] OPINION: Terence Corcoran: Rogers CEO stays calm in the face of MPs’ baseless attacks (Financial Post) 
• [HATE SPEECH/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: Shimon Fogel: The fight against antisemitism has to be more than just words (National Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Aftab Erfan & Fergus Linley-Mota: Survey on AI finds most people want it regulated, but trust in government remains low (The Conversation) 

International News

• [COMPETITION] China Opens Investigation Into Nvidia Over Potential Antitrust Violations (New York Times)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CHIPMAKING] China’s Critical Minerals Embargo Is Even Tougher Than Expected (New York Times)
• [CYBERSECURITY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Telegram, a Lifeline for Ukrainians, Is Feared to Be Exploited by Russia (New York Times)
•  [LABOUR/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] FEATURE-Lacking job security, Filipino call centre workers face AI threat (Reuters News)
• [HATE SPEECH/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CONTENT MODERATION] Exclusive-Meta contractor dismissed threats to moderators by Ethiopia rebels: court documents (Reuters News)
• [CENSORSHIP/SURVEILLANCE/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] TikTok Faces Ban After U.S. Judges Uphold New Law (New York Times)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Biden Administration Sprints to Tie Up Tech Loose Ends  (New York Times) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/CYBERSECURITY] FCC readies plan to regulate telecoms’ cybersecurity  (Washington Post) 
• [CLOUD COMPUTING/COMPETITION] These senators want to break Big Tech’s hold on AI, cloud contracts (Washington Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION] Senators turn to Elon Musk to pressure House on child online safety (Washington Post)
• (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Picking Sacks as ‘AI and crypto czar’ signals Trump’s pro-industry stance (Washington Post)  
• [ONLINE HARMS/LAWSUIT] Apple Sued for Failing to Curtail Child Sexual Abuse Material on iCloud  (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY] Spying on Student Devices, Schools Aim to Intercept Self-Harm Before It Happens (New York Times)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/INTERNET POLICY] Internet Plans Now Come With ‘Nutrition Labels.’ No One Knows How to Read Them (The Wall Street Journal)
• [CYBERSECURITY/DATA PRIVACY] Why Hackers Want Your Health Information: Health records contain personal information that can leave patients exposed to financial and medical risks (Wall Street Journal)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COMPETITION] What’s Next for Google’s Search Monopoly?  (New York Times)
• [CYBERSECURITY] ‘Large number’ of Americans’ metadata stolen by Chinese hackers, senior official says (Reuters) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] AT&T to eliminate copper wire phone lines to most users. Who stands to lose? (USA Today) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY]  Why Wouldn’t ChatGPT Say This Dead Professor’s Name? (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] How Years of Reddit Posts Have Made the Company (Wall Street Journal Online)
• [MILITARY/TECH] Trump’s Musk-led efficiency drive may spur defense-tech partnerships (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] It’s not just TikTok. You probably use lots of Chinese technology.  (Washington Post) 
• [MILITARY/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OpenAI Enters Silicon Valley’s Hot New Business: War (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] The Secret to Getting Real Value From AI: Humans! It turns out the latest machines need us as much as we need them (Wall Street Journal)
• [COPYRIGHT] Online library drops its legal battle to provide free e-books without publishers’ permission (Associated Press) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Now You Can Avoid Taxes Like the Rich and Famous; Technology such as AI widens access to tax-optimization strategies, including the launch of funds that explicitly seek to defer tax payments (Wall Street Journal)
• [TECH & POLITICS] Musk was once a climate warrior. Then he met right-wing media (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Genevieve Lakier & Jameel Jaffer: The Supreme Court Must Intervene in the TikTok Case (New York Times) 

(December 04 – 10, 2024)

Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) 

• Report on the Oversight of Social Media Platforms to Ensure Privacy and Safety Online

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Report to Parliament:
  •  Biennial review of the measures taken by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada to protect personal information
• Advice to Parliament:
  •  Appearance before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) on privacy breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency
• Media Advisory:
  • Privacy Commissioner to appear before parliamentary committee studying the government’s decision to order the wind up of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc.
• Speech
  •  Remarks by the Privacy Commissioner at event to connect chief privacy officers and chief information officers
• Statement
  •  Statement by the Privacy Commissioner following release of ETHI Committee report on oversight of social media platforms
• News Release:
  • Privacy Commissioner discusses breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency during appearance before parliamentary committee
  • Privacy Commissioner discusses breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency during appearance before parliamentary committee
  • Privacy Commissioner tables in Parliament review of FINTRAC’s information handling practices

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• News release:
  • Federal government strengthens Canada’s telecommunications ecosystem
  • Canada to drive billions in investments to build domestic AI compute capacity at home
• Media advisory:
  • Minister Sudds to announce federal investment in advanced telecommunications infrastructure 
• Statement:
  • Ministerial statement in response to the Auditor General of Canada’s report on the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• News release:
  • CRTC consults on making shopping for Internet easier 
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom order 2024-319
    [2024-12-05 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 869
  • Telecom notice of consultation 2024-318
    [2024-12-04 14:00:00]
    Notice of hearing – 10 June 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec – Making it easier for consumers to shop for Internet services – Deadline for submission of interventions: 20 February 2025 – Deadline for submission of replies: 12 March 2025

Meta

•  What We Saw on Our Platforms During 2024’s Global Elections 

TikTok

• TikTok Files Emergency Motion for Injunction
• TikTok Statement on DC Circuit Court of Appeals Decision

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada will decide the following leave applications at 9:45 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 12, 2024. This list might change:
  • [COMPETITION] Spark Event Rentals Ltd. v. Google LLC, Google Canada Corporation and Alphabet Inc.  (British Columbia) (Civil) (By Leave) (41337) 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will be sitting from December 10 – 12, 2024, with a possible sitting day on December 13 and 16, 2024
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (TRCM): Copper wire theft in the telecommunications industry – Tuesday December 10, 2024 at 9:00 AM ET 
    • Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (TRCM): Copper wire theft in the telecommunications industry – Tuesday December 11, 2024 at 6:45 PM ET
  • Bills on the Agenda
    • S-237: An Act to establish the Foreign Influence Registry and to amend the Criminal Code  – At second reading in the Senate
    • S-257: An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting against discrimination based on political belief) – At second reading in the Senate
    • S-261: An Act respecting non-disclosure agreements – At second reading in the Senate

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will be sitting from December 9 – 13, 2024.
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC): Order of the House Referring Back the Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage entitled “Job Cuts Announced at CBC/Radio-Canada” – Monday, December 9, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 
    • Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC): Order of the House Referring Back the Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage entitled “Job Cuts Announced at CBC/Radio-Canada” – Monday, December 2, 2024, 11:09 a.m. to 2:03 p.m.
    • Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU): Russian Interference and Disinformation Campaigns in Canada – Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
    • Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI): Wind Up of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. – Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
    • Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC): Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act – Thursday, December 5, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
    • Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP): Report 7, Modernizing Information Technology Systems of the 2023 Reports 5 to 9 of the Auditor General of Canada; Report 2, Connectivity in Rural and Remote Areas, of the 2023 Reports 1 to 4 of the Auditor General of Canada- Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
    • Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (JUST): Pre-Study on Bill C-63 – Thursday, December 12, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated Releases for the week of 2 to 6 December 2024:
  • The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 9 to 13 December 2024. This is subject to change without notice.
    • Broadcasting Decisions:
      • Nunavut Independent Television Network, Across Canada
        Inuit TV Network
        Across Canada
        Uvagut TV – Licensing of a national, Inuit-language discretionary service, and mandatory distribution of the service across Canada – Finalization of conditions of service
        Inuit TV – Licensing of a national, Inuit-language discretionary service – Finalization of conditions of service
        Public records: 2021-0527-0 and 2023-0064-8
      • Gill Broadcasting Ltd.
        Winnipeg, Manitoba
        Gill Broadcasting Ltd.- Issuance of mandatory orders
        Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0182
      • Access Communications Co-operative Limited
        Regina, Saskatchewan
        CJTR-FM Regina, Saskatchewan – Change in ownership and effective control
        Public record: 2024-0368-2
    • Broadcasting Regulatory Policy:
      • Framework under the Online News Act,  Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0055
    • Telecom Decision:
      • Applications regarding long-distance calling in Ontario correctional facilities, Public records: 8633-G110-202306480, 8633-B2-202400050, and 8633-G110-202402809
    • Telecom Regulatory Policy:
      • Broadband Fund policy review – New policy for funding capital projects Public record: 1011-NOC2023-0089
  • Upcoming hearings:
    • February 11, 2025 – Yellowknife (Northwest Territories)
      To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-213 –  View hearing documents (2024-213)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-295) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing self-service mechanisms – Deadline for submission of interventions: 9 January 2025 Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025 
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-294) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Removing barriers to switching plans Deadline for submission of interventions: 9 January 2025 Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-293) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing customer notification Deadline for submission of interventions: 9 January 2025 Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025   
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-292) Call for comments – Reconsideration of an aspect of Telecom Decision 2023-358 Deadline for submission of interventions: 12 December 2024 Deadline for submission of replies: 19 December 2024 
• Share your thoughts on Canadian content for TV and online streaming services: End date: Start date: November 15, 2024, End date: January 20, 2025 
• Share your thoughts about the modernization of radio processes  Current status: End date: Start date: November 15, 2024, End date: January 20, 2025 
• Call for comments regarding the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ proposed plan for the operation of a temporary fund supporting local news production by commercial radio stations in smaller markets – Start date: December 4, 2024 – deadline December 19, 2024.  
• Share your thoughts on a temporary fund to support local news production by commercial radio stations – Start date: November 4, 2024 End date: December 19, 2024  

Innovation, Science and Economic Development 

• Right to Repair Consultation – closing date for comments: Dec 13, 2024