Weekly Newsletter for November 12, 2024

Weekly News (November 12, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(November 6, – 12, 2024)
Canadian News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION]  Trudeau government’s TikTok move won’t eliminate security risks, critics say  (Toronto Star) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Canada offices ordered closed over ‘national security risks,’ but app still permitted (National Post) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Alberta Insider: Danielle Smith solidifies her position with UCP leadership win (Globe and Mail) 
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION]
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Telus prioritizing ’most important customers,’ avoiding ’unprofitable’ offers: CFO (Vancouver Sun) 
• [HATE SPEECH]  MP Gazan tables Bill ‘out of a call from survivors’  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Wireless carriers tell CRTC they’re already offering flexible roaming options  (Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS]  Thieves posed as telecoms workers in Flamborough copper heist, Bell Canada says  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/COMPETITION] BCE to buy U.S. internet provider Ziply for $5B, in part with funds from MLSE sale (CBC) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ACADEMIC HONESTY] This Ontario student accused of cheating was flagged by an AI detection program. But the software isn’t always right  (Toronto Star) 
• [CYBERSECURITY]  Hamilton cyberattack warrants $20.5M budget ‘placeholder’  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [ONLINE HARMS ACT]   Canada’s Special Interlocutor calls for reparations and accountability in final report on unmarked graves  (Penticton Herald) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] 
• [HATE SPEECH] OPINION: Reena Kurkreja:  Anti-immigrant politics is fueling hate toward South Asian people in Canada (The Conversation) 
• [COPYRIGHT] OPINION: Anthony D Rosborough:  Updates to Canada’s Copyright Act bring consumers closer to the ‘right to repair’ your devices (The Conversation)  
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Teresa Scassa: Youth social media: Why proposed Ontario and federal legislation won’t fix harms related to data exploitation  (The Conversation)  
• [ALGORITHMS/COMPETITION] OPINION: Jim Stanford: From a Taylor Swift hotel triple-up to rideshare surges: how algorithms are driving high-tech price-fixing (Toronto Star) 

International News

• [ONLINES ADS/PLATFORM REGULATION] In Europe, Instagram Ads Are About to Get Less Personal (Wall Street Journal) 
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION/LAWSUIT] Supreme Court divided over lawsuit against Facebook  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Families Battle Tech Giants as Australia Pushes for an Under-16 Social-Media Ban (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CENSORSHIP/JOURNALISM/DEFAMATION] Moroccan court sentences journalist to 18 months in jail for defamation (Reuters) 
• [DISINFORMATION/ FOREIGN INTERFERENCE/ELECTIONS] Falsehoods From Russia On Election Were Brazen  (New York Times) 
• [ELECTIONS/FOREIGN INTERFERENCE] How Russia Openly Escalated Its Election Interference Efforts  (New York Times) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] ‘Queer’ movie ban in Turkey prompts film festival cancellation  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Trump expected to try to halt TikTok ban, allies say  (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] What a GOP sweep of Congress would mean for tech policy ; Republicans may be able to throw their weight around on AI, data privacy and more.  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] The Mental Health Risks Of A.I. Companions (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] A 14-Year-Old Boy Killed Himself to Get Closer to a Chatbot. He Thought They Were In Love. (Wall Street Journal) 
• [TECH/POLITICS] Musk Uses X As Bullhorn For Trump  (New York Times)
• [DISINFORMATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] State Department Division That Battles Foreign Disinformation Faces Closure (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ONLINE HARMS] She Was a Child Instagram Influencer. Her Fans Were Grown Men.(New York Times) 
• [TECH/POLITICS/ELECTIONS] Silicon Valley protested Trump in 2016. Now it wants to work with him.  (Washington Post)
• [LAWSUIT/CONTENT MODERATION] Suit Against Meta, Using a Tech Shield Law, Is Dismissed (New York Times) 
• [DEFAMATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] For legal disputes, Elon Musk’s X picked a venue far from Texas HQ (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION/ELECTIONS] AI didn’t sway the election, but it deepened the partisan divide  (Washington Post)  
• [ELECTION/DISINFORMATION] Pennsylvania Becomes Hot Spot for Election Disinformation(New York Times) 
• [CRYPTO/ELECTION] The Crypto Industry Spent Over $130 Million on the Election. It Paid Off (New York Times) 
• [TECH/MENTAL HEALTH] How Tech Created a ‘Recipe for Loneliness’  (New York Times) 
• [ELECTION/MISINFORMATION] Drop-Off in Democratic Votes Ignites Conspiracy Theories on Left and Right (New York Times) 
• [TECH/POLITICS] Big Tech’s Hotbeds of Employee Activism Quiet After Trump’s Victory(New York Times) 
• [TECH/POLITICS] Tech Giants Face a Familiar Uncertainty With Trump(New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES/DISINFORMATION] A deepfake showed MLK Jr. backing Trump. His daughter calls it ‘vile.’  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MILITARY] AI companies chip away at policies barring sale of technology to military  (Washington Post) 
• [DEFAMATION/MEDIA] CNN must face Project Veritas’ defamation lawsuit, US appeals court rules (Reuters) 
• [COPYRIGHT]  Ed Sheeran Prevails in Copyright Appeal Over ‘Let’s Get It On’  (New York Times) 

(November 6, – 12, 2024)

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Joint Statement
  • International Network for Digital Regulation Cooperation and OECD co-host workshop to explore key regulatory areas of joint concern 

Canadian Intellectual Property Office

• CIPO Hosts 26th Annual CIPO-WIPO Executive Program 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• News Release:
  • Governments of Canada and Quebec expand high-speed Internet access in Quebec 
  • Even more organizations adopting Canada’s voluntary code of conduct on artificial intelligence development 
  • Strengthening Canada’s leadership in telecommunications technology: A new partnership with Ericsson 
• Backgrounder:
  • Order Referring Telecom Decision CRTC 2023-358 Back to the CRTC
• Media Advisory:
  • Minister Champagne to announce the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute 
  • Minister Champagne to confirm an investment in the Canadian telecommunications sector  
• Statement:
  • Government of Canada orders the wind up of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. following a national security review under the Investment Canada Act 
  • Statement from Minister Champagne responding to Bell’s petition to rescind the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s decision on wholesale access to fibre 

Competition Bureau Canada

• Competition Bureau seeks feedback on merger enforcement guidelines 

Communications Security Establishment Canada

• Top Canadian cyber security body releases flagship guidance for critical infrastructure  

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• News Release:
  • CRTC launches consultation on temporary fund to support local radio news    
• Speech:
  • Claire Anderson to Canada’s Rural and Remote Broadband Community conference 
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Broadcasting decision 2024-280
    [2024-11-08 11:00:00]
    Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Trois-Rivières and Clova, Quebec – Application to change the authorized contours of CBF-FM-16 Clova, a rebroadcasting transmitter of the French-language FM radio station ICI Radio-Canada Première CBF-FM-8 Trois-Rivières
  • Broadcasting decision 2024-279
    [2024-11-07 11:00:00]
    Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Prince Rupert and Stewart, British Columbia – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the English-language radio station CFPR Prince Rupert in order to operate a new FM transmitter in Stewart
  • Telecom order 2024-278
    [2024-11-07 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Groupe Maskatel Québec LP, TN 92
  • Telecom order 2024-277
    [2024-11-07 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 865
  • Telecom order 2024-276
    [2024-11-06 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: TELUS Communications Inc., TN 597

United Nations

• 85 per cent of journalist killings go unpunished

Meta 

•  Facebook and Instagram to Offer Subscription for No Ads in Europe  

Microsoft

• Expanding AccountGuard to Counter Growing Cyber Threats in Africa 

OpenAI 

• Introducing ChatGPT search 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will not be sitting the week of  November 11 – 15, 2024. The next sitting day is November 19, 2024
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs: Bill C-26, An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts – Monday November 18, 2024 at 4:00 PM ET.   

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will not be sitting the week of  November 11 – 15, 2024. The next sitting day is November 18, 2024
  • Bills on the Agenda
    • C-63: An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts  – At second reading in the House of Commons 
    • C-65: An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act -At consideration in committee in the House of Commons  

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated Releases:
  • The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 12 to 15 November 2024. This is subject to change without notice.
    • Broadcasting Notices of Consultation:
      • Call for comments – Modernization of radio processes
        Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0xxx
• Notice of hearing – The Path Forward – Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector
  Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0xxx
• Telecom Decisions:
  • Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc. – Application requesting video relay service funding for 2025
    Public record: 8665-C209-202404226
  • Final 2024 revenue-percent charge and related matters
• Telecom Orders:
  • Broadband Fund – Change request – TELUS Mobility’s access and mobile project in northern Alberta, Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Broadband Fund – Change request – TELUS Communications Inc.’s access and mobile project in British Columbia (Xeni Gwet’in), Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Broadband Fund – Change request – TELUS Communications Inc.’s mobile project in the central interior of British Columbia, Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372

• Upcoming Hearings
  • November 20, 2024 – Gatineau, Quebec
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-138, 2023-138-1 and 2023-138-2, View hearing documents (2023-138)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

· 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 

·         Share your thoughts on the guidelines for consultations relating to official language minority communities and official languages- Deadline: October 9, 2024 (November 8, 2024  for members of official language minority communities) 

·         Share your thoughts about described video and audio description: Second consultation period – September 19 to November 20, 2024  

·         Consultation on closed captioning of programming from online streaming services: second consultation period from September 10 to November 13, 2024  

·         Share your thoughts on the proposed code of conduct for bargaining under the Online News Act: End Date – November 7, 2024 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development 

·         Right to Repair Consultation – closing sate for comments: Dec 13, 2024 

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

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