Weekly Newsletter for April 15, 2025

Weekly News (April 15, 2025)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Serra Hasiloglu with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(April 9 – 15, 2025)

Canadian News

• [ONLINE NEWS/ELECTIONS] TikTok influencers’ political posts going viral in Canada as election nears, report says (Globe and Mail)
• [ELECTIONS] Election interference watchdog detects Beijing effort to influence Chinese Canadians on Carney (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Singh calls on Carney to block Rogers wireless deal (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/INFRASTRUCTURE] Why are Canada’s largest telecom companies selling stakes in their core infrastructure? (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Rogers’ 3G customers to face $3 ‘legacy’ charge as company plans to retire network (CityNews)
• [FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY] COVID-19 rules barring protests in 2021 were unconstitutional: Ontario’s top court (Hamilton Spectator)
• [DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY] How the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement is inspiring France’s ‘Le Boycott’ (Globe and Mail)
• [CYBERSECURITY/CRYPTOCURRENCY/HACKING]  Running the numbers: A Canadian math prodigy allegedly stole US$65-million in crypto. Now he’s on the lam from U.S. authorities (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI now an ‘expectation’ at Shopify, will factor into performance reviews, hiring: CEO (CTV News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIG TECH/ONLINE NEWS] Future legislation compensating news outlets for content must account for AI: report (CTV News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Tailscale raises $230-million, reaching $2-billion valuation on surging demand from AI companies (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY/SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS] Court of Appeal dismisses bid to overturn dashcam ruling (Prince George Citizen)
• [CENSORSHIP] P.E.I. vet college apologizes for asking artist to remove piece showing lemmings and U.S. flag (CBC)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Matt Malone: If Canada wants closer European ties, we need European privacy standards, not American (Globe and Mail)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Konrad Yakabuski: Mark Carney’s plan to boost funding for CBC/Radio-Canada is raw politics (Globe and Mail)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: ​​Shellene Drakes-Tull: When it comes to unifying Canada, one institution is my go-to choice (Toronto Star)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/INFRASTRUCTURE/BIG TECH] OPINION: Rob McMahon and Peter Garland: Canada must plan for life without Elon Musk’s Starlink (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] OPINION: Andrew Willis: Blackstone CEO must disavow Trump to buy Canadian wireless infrastructure (Globe and Mail)

International News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY] Ireland’s Privacy Watchdog Probes Musk’s Grok AI Model (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DISINFORMATION] Taiwan says China using generative AI to ramp up disinformation and ‘divide’ the island (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH] Why this French tech company wants to build an internet that doesn’t have to rely on Donald Trump’s America (Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIG TECH] Meta to use public posts, AI interactions to train models in EU (Reuters)
• [TARIFFS/BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] Stocks rally worldwide after Trump eases some of his tariffs on electronics, for now (Associated Press)
• [FREE PRESS] AP wins reinstatement to White House events after judge rules government can’t bar its journalists (Associated Press)
• [BIG TECH/LAWSUIT] OpenAI Asks Court to Bar Elon Musk From Unfairly Attacking It (New York Times)
• [BIG TECH/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/INFRASTRUCTURE] Exclusive: Alphabet, Nvidia invest in OpenAI co-founder Sutskever’s SSI, source says (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH/COMPETITION] Meta’s Zuckerberg disputes US antitrust case in trial testimony (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE/COMPETITION] What to Know About Trump’s Antitrust Efforts Against Tech Giants (New York Times)
• [BIG TECH/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY/INFRASTRUCTURE] Google deploys AI to speed up connections at PJM, largest US power grid (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY/PERSONAL INFORMATION] Trump Wants to Merge Government Data. Here Are 314 Things It Might Know About You (New York Times)
• [PRIVACY/TAXPAYER DATA/IMMIGRATION] Top I.R.S. Officials Said to Resign After Deal to Give ICE Migrants’ Data (New York Times)
• [PRIVACY/PERSONAL INFORMATION/IMMIGRATION] Social Security Lists Thousands of Migrants as Dead to Prompt Them to ‘Self-Deport’ (New York Times)
• [CENSORSHIP/BOOK BANS] Maya Angelou memoir, Holocaust book are among those pulled from Naval Academy library in DEI purge (Associated Press)
• [FREE SPEECH] OPINION: Debra Thompson: The crackdown on foreign students is meant to create a culture of fear – both on and off campus (Globe and Mail)
• [DIGITAL ARCHIVE/DATA ERASURE/CENSORSHIP] OPINION: Nanna Bonde Thylstrup and Richard Ovenden: Politicians Shouldn’t Get to Delete Inconvenient Facts (New York Times)

(April 9 – 15, 2025)

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Broadcasting decision 2025-88
    [2025-04-14 11:00:00]
    Local Radio Lab Inc. – Bolton, Ontario – Application to change the ownership and effective control of the English-language commercial radio station operating the radio station CJFB-FM Bolton
  • Broadcasting decision 2025-87
    [2025-04-14 11:00:00]
    Blackburn Media Inc. – Chatham, Ontario – Application to operate an English-language commercial FM radio station in Chatham to replace the English-language commercial AM radio station CFCO Chatham
  • Telecom order 2025-86
    [2025-04-08 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund payment order – Approval of final implementation reports – March 2025 – Public records: 1011-NOC2019-0191 and 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Telecom order 2025-85
    [2025-04-08 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund payment order – Approval of holdback reports – March 2025 – Public records: 1011-NOC2019-0191 and 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Telecom order 2025-84
    [2025-04-08 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund payment order – Approval of claim forms – March 2025 – Public records: 1011-NOC2019-0191 and 1011-NOC2019-0372

Meta

• The FTC’s Weak Case Against Meta Ignores Reality

YouTube

• YouTube supports the NO FAKES Act: Protecting creators and viewers in the age of AI

House of Commons and Senate of Canada 

• The dissolution of the 44th Parliament occurred on March 23, 2025. Parliamentary business, including most committee business, is ended until the 45th Parliament.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 14 to 17 April 2025:
  • The CRTC does not plan to issue any decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 14 to 17 April 2025. This is subject to change without notice. 
• Upcoming hearings:
  • May 14, 2025 (previously 31 March 2025) – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing – The Path Forward – Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-288, 2024-288-1, 2024-288-2, 2024-288-3 – View hearing documents (2024-288)
  • June 10, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing – Making it easier for consumers to shop for Internet services – Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-318, 2024-318-1, 2024-318-2
    View hearing documents (2024-318)             
  • June 18, 2025 (previously 12 May 2025) – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing -The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system – Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-2, 2025-2-1, 2025-2-2 – View hearing documents (2025-2)
  • September 18, 2025 (previously 18 June 2025)
    Notice of hearing – The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous audio content – Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-52, 2025-52-1, 2025-52-2 – View hearing documents (2025-52)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Spectrum Management Consultations

• Consultation on the 26 GHz and 38 GHz Bands – Respondents should submit their comments no later than May 5, 2025 to ensure consideration.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Consultation on the implementation of the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) Forum certifications in Canada – Respondents should complete the online consultation form and submit their feedback no later than June 30, 2025.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Share your thoughts on Canadian content for audio services – End date: May 5, 2025

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

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