Weekly News (January 19, 2021)
Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

The Communications Governance Discussion Group meets every few weeks by Zoom.  Email organizer Derek Hrynyshyn <derekh@yorku.ca> for details.

(January 12-18, 2021)

Canadian News

• [FREEDOM OF SPEECH/ONLINE HATE & HARASSMENT] Liberal government revising plan to regulate social media in light of U.S. Capitol riot (The Globe and Mail)
• [INNOVATION/POLITICS] Cabinet shuffled after walk (Toronto Star)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CRTC questions CBC oversight in licence review (Toronto Star)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC Head wants more flexibility over online content (Welland Tribune)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC, not Khan, sullied network’s reputation (Toronto Star)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Canada Revenue Agency targets artists for possible repayment of emergency benefits (The Globe and Mail)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Watchdog wants PMO, MPs part of information access law (The Toronto Star)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Law should require disclosure of risks of harm to public, environment: info commissioner (The Toronto Star; Also available at National Observer)
• [INTERNET REGULATION/DIGITAL DIVIDE] Mark Buell: Indigenous communities must have internet access on their terms (The Toronto Star)
• [DEFAMATION] B.C. billionaire can sue Twitter, court rules (Vancouver Sun)
• [PRIVACY/WORKPLACE] Arbitrator backs worker fired after boss snooped messages (Vancouver Sun)
• [PRIVACY/HEALTH DATA] Potential for class action as a result of ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ birth alerts say B.C. lawyers (Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ SMART CITIES] That governance Thing (Toronto Star)
• [FACIAL RECOGNITION/SURVEILLANCE] John Lorinc: The special case of police and surveillance (Toronto Star)
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION/HEALTH DATA] Loblaw’s points economy for private-health data follows Big Tech’s playbook (The Globe and Mail)
• [PATENT] BlackBerry, Facebook reach deal in patent dispute (Toronto Star)
• [PATENT] BlackBerry sells 90 patents to Huawei, covering key smartphone technology advances (The Globe and Mail)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Silicon Valley braces for tougher regulation in Biden’s new Washington (The Washington Post)
• [FREEDOM OF SPEECH/PROTEST] In closing Mall, officials try to strike a balance between the First Amendment and securing Biden’s inauguration (The Washington Post)
• [BROADCASTING REGULATION] OPINION: McDowell: Justices May Usher In the Modern Broadcast Age—Two Decades Late (Wall Street Journal)
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION] FTC Reaches Settlement With Flo Health Over Fertility-Tracking App (The Wall Street Journal)
• [ANTITRUST] Parler sues Amazon after pro-Trump site goes dark (The Washington Post)
• [SURVEILLANCE/COVID-19] Watchdog blocks use of drones as surveillance for COVID restrictions; France (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] EU ruling on data privacy leaves Facebook exposed (Associated Press News)
• [NET NEUTRALITY] California challenges U.S. reversal of Obama-era 2017 net neutrality rules (Reuters)
• [CENSORSHIP] Mexican regulators ban showing president’s full conferences (Toronto Star; Also available via CityNews/Associated Press)
• [PRIVACY/DIGITAL ID/VACCINE] WHO Plans Privacy, Security Rules for Covid-19 Vaccine Certificates (Wall Street Journal)
• [CENSORSHIP] Media blackout imposed as pop star challenges Museveni in vote (Vancouver Sun)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/FREEDOM OF SPEECH] Poland targets big tech with anti-censorship law (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Social media boot riles Germany, France (National Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/PRIVACY] Facebook bows to Turkish demand to name local representative (Associated Press)
• [PRIVACY] Italian data authority takes aim at Whatsapp’s privacy disclaimer (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] WhatsApp faces first legal challenge in India over privacy (Reuters)
• [US-CHINA RELATIONS] EU companies in China should ‘prepare for the worst’ in digital decoupling: report (Reuters)
• [CENSORSHIP/DONALD TRUMP) The ‘Common Carrier’ Solution to Social-Media Censorship (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY/MEDICAL DATA] Israel trades Pfizer doses for medical data in vaccine blitz (The Associated Press via CTV News)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Mexican president mulls ending independent watchdog agencies (Toronto Star; Also available with the St. Catharines Standard)
• [CENSORSHIP] Hong Kong censorship debate grows as internet firm says can block ‘illegal acts’ (Reuters)
• [FREEDOM OF SPEECH/NATIONAL SECURITY] AP Interview: Arrested US lawyer says HK courts face choice (Associated Press)
• [PRIVACY/DIGITAL ID/VACCINE] Vaccine passports: what are they and do they pose a danger to privacy? (The Guardian)

(January 12-18, 2021)

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• CRTC launches consultation to strengthen Canadians’ online safety

Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development

• United States and Canada sign new Agreement on the use of the Radio Frequency Spectrum

 Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has today deposited with the Registrar judgments in the following leave applications (dismissed)
  • Roch Guimont et Constance Guimont c. La Presse Canadienne, Stéphanie Marin, Groupe Capitales Médias inc., Mishmash Media inc. et Média Transcontinental inc. (Qc) (Civile) (Autorisation) (39306)

Federal Court of Appeal

• [PATENT] McCain Foods Limited v. J.R. Simplot Company – 2021 FCA 4 – 2021-01-14
• [PATENT] Tensar Technologies, Limited v. Enviro-Pro Geosynthetics, Ltd. – 2021 FCA 3 – 2021-01-13

Federal Court of Appeal

• [COPYRIGHT]  Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. v. White (Beast IPTV) – 2021 FC 53 – 2021-01-14

 Google

• Our continuing support for Dreamers
• AG Paxton’s misleading attack on our ad tech business

Twitter

• What to expect on Twitter on US Inauguration Day 2021
• An update following the riots in Washington, DC

 Instagram

• Instagram Tools for Transparent Partnerships

Facebook

• Our Preparations Ahead of Inauguration Day
• Roy Austin Joins Facebook as VP of Civil Rights
• Our Response to the Violence in Washington

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting decision 2021-11
  [2021-01-15 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – San Lorenzo Latin American Community Centre – Toronto, Ontario – Application to change the authorized contours of the ethnic community AM radio station CHHA Toronto
• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2019-379-6
  [2021-01-14 11:00:00]
  Notice of hearing – 11 January 2021 – Gatineau, Quebec – Additional process in regard to the licence renewal applications for the Corporation’s English- and French-language audio and audiovisual programming services – Deadline for the filing of undertakings: 3 February 2021 – Deadline for the filing of final submissions from interveners: 24 February 2021 – Deadline for the filing of final reply by the Corporation: 10 March 2021
• Telecom decision 2021-10
  [2021-01-14 11:00:00]
  Bragg Communications Incorporated, carrying on business as Eastlink – Application to review and vary Telecom Order 2020-60 regarding terms and conditions of access to the cable carriers’ aggregated wholesale high-speed access services – Public record: 8662-E17-202002731
• Telecom notice of consultation 2019-420-3
  [2021-01-13 11:00:00]
  Call for comments – Access to in-building wire in multi-dwelling units – Change to procedure – Deadline for submission of final replies: 12 February 2021 – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0420
• Compliance and Enforcement and Telecom notice of consultation 2021-9
  [2021-01-13 11:00:00]
  Call for comments – Development of a network-level blocking framework to limit botnet traffic and strengthen Canadians’ online safety – Public record: 1011-NOC2021-0009
• Broadcasting decision 2021-8
  [2021-01-12 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Vancouver, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of the French-language radio station CBUF-FM Vancouver
• Broadcasting decision 2021-7
  [2021-01-12 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Vancouver, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language radio station CBU-FM Vancouver

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: Next sitting day is February 2^nd, 2021 

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week. The House is adjourned until Monday, January 25, 2021 at 11:00 am (EST)

CRTC

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of January 18 – 22, 2021

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the coming week. This list may be incomplete and is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decision:

Decisions relating to the following applications considered under the Commission’s Part 1 process:

• Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various radio stations

Telecom Decisions:

• Indefinite deferral of relief for area code 709 in Newfoundland and Labrador – Public record: 8621-C12-01/08

Public Hearings

• To consider the broadcasting application listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2020-396 – View hearing documents (2020-396) (February 25, 2021)

Open Public Consultations:

• Justice: Modernizing Canada’s Privacy Act – Public Consultation (January 17, 2021)
• Consultation on the Technical and Policy Framework for Licence-Exempt Use in the 6 GHz Band(January 19, 2021)
• CRTC: Share your views and ideas on telecommunications services in Northern Canada: Nov 2, 2020 to Jan 20, 2021
• Communication & Statistics: StatCan+ beta consultation: Dec 18, 2020 to Jan 29, 2021