Newsletter: November 9, 2021

Weekly News (November 9th, 2021)

Compiled by Boxi Chen, Fizza Kulvi, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertler with Sara Bannerman, Fenwick McKelvey, Guillaume Dandurand, Marek Blottière, and Kevin Morin
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(November 2-8, 2021)

Canadian News 

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] Google warns Liberals’ online harms bill ‘will result in the blocking of legitimate content’ (National Post)

·         [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Rogers says it won’t appeal B.C. court decision that seals Edward Rogers’s control over the telecom giant (Globe & Mail)

·         [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Rogers urges CRTC to proceed with Shaw deal hearings amid calls for delay (Toronto Star) / Acquisition de Shaw Communications: Rogers demande au CRTC de maintenir ses audiences (La Presse)

·         [MEDIA OWNERSHIP/TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Québecor: Le conflit interne chez Rogers met en doute la vente de Freedom Mobile (La Presse)

·         [DEFAMATION] Radio-Canada songe à contester la décision de la Cour d’appel (Le Devoir)

·         [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC suspend définitivement les commentaires sous ses publications Facebook (Le Devoir)

·         [PRIVACY/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] RCMP wants to use AI to learn passwords in investigations, but experts warn of privacy risks (Globe & Mail)

·         [PRIVACY] Government data breach exposes Afghans to more danger (CBC News)

·         [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Elections Canada probed how many Canadians have a ‘conspiracy mindset’ (CTV News)

·         [PRIVACY] ‘I was being watched’: Location-tracking apps monitoring employees’ productivity spark privacy concerns (Globe & Mail)

·         [PRIVACY] COVID-19 pandemic made hospitals more vulnerable to cyberattacks: security experts (Toronto Star)

·         [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] University of Ottawa must protect academic freedom, says report (Globe & Mail)

·         [PRIVACY] Families scramble for daycare over wait list confusion (Winnipeg Free Press)

·         [PRIVACY] OPINION: YOUNGS: Ford gives anti-vax health care workers a free pass  (Hamilton Spectator)

·         [PRIVACY] OPINION: ANGUS: Parliament must protect Canadians’ rights online (National Post)

·         [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: GASPARD & MAZUREK: How Ontario can rethink its election spending law to ensure fairness, equality (Conversation)

International News

·         [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] UN draft condemns attacks on journalists, urges punishment (Washington Post)

·         [PRIVACY] Australia regulator demands face-scanning firm delete photos (AP News)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] The Facebook whistleblower is testifying in the E.U., where tech regulation is actually happening (Washington Post)

·         [PRIVACY] Apple’s software boss warns against draft EU policy on App Store (Reuters)

·         [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Pakistan lifts ban on radical party behind anti-France rally (Washington Post)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] TechScape: Xi Jinping’s “Little Red Book” of Science and Technology Supervision May Lead the Trend (Guardian)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Yahoo pulls out of China, citing ‘challenging’ environment (AP News)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Plenty of pitfalls await Zuckerberg’s ‘metaverse’ plan (Rochester First)

·         (PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/HATE SPEECH] Facebook ‘knew what it was doing,’ former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says (Financial Post)

·         [PRIVACY] 30 years later, Nirvana should be held responsible for child pornography, exploitation (USA Today)

·         [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Some Sept. 11 Trial Secrets May Not Be Secrets Anymore (New York Times)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] Central Asian leaders want to tighten grip on social media. Russia’s playbook blazes the trail (Washington Post)

·         [PRIVACY] Time to say goodbye to ‘I consent’ cookie pop-ups? (Irish Times)

·         [HATE SPEECH] U.N. investigator ‘hopeful’ Facebook will hand over more Myanmar information (Reuters)

·         [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Recalled items that have killed kids still on Facebook (USA Today)

·         [PRIVACY/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Facebook to End Use of Facial Recognition Technology on Platform (Time)

·         [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] ‘Super polluters’: the top 10 publishers denying the climate crisis on Facebook (Guardian)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Democracy at risk if Facebook does not change, says former Zuckerberg adviser (Guardian)

·         [CYBERSECURITY/PRIVACY] Israeli spyware company NSO Group placed on US blacklist (Guardian)

·         [CENSORSHIP] EDITORIAL: OPINION: LinkedIn was right to leave China. It’s discouraging anyway (Washington Post)

·         [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: OWEN & SOLOMUN: How to protect children from Big Tech’s harms

(November 2-8, 2021)

Senate of Canada

• IMPROVE RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE: SENATOR ROB BLACK

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Minister Champagne to travel to Germany, Belgium and France [Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence Summit]
• $7.7 million investment to bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 700 households in the Les Basques RCM by September 2022
• Government of Canada continues to show progress on reducing prices for cellphone data plans
• Government of Canada invites small businesses to develop an artificial intelligence decryption service
• Joint readout: Minister François-Philippe Champagne meets with Secretary Gina Raimondo of the United States

Microsoft

• What is Visual Description? As events evolve, greater accessibility for the disability community emerges

CRTC

News Releases:

• Telecom order 2021-368
  [2021-11-05 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves the following tariff applications: Groupe Maskatel LP, TN 85 and TN 85A
• Broadcasting decision 2021-367
  [2021-11-04 11:00:00]
  Quebecor Media Inc., on behalf of Videotron Ltd., and Bragg Communications Incorporated, carrying on business as Eastlink – Across Canada – Applications to amend the broadcasting licence for the on-demand services, Illico sur demande and Eastlink OnDemand
• Broadcasting decision 2021-366
  [2021-11-04 11:00:00]
  Ebox Inc. – Province of Quebec – Complaint against 9303-4338 Québec inc. alleging failure to comply with the exemption order for terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertakings serving fewer than 20,000 subscribers
• Telecom order 2021-365
  [2021-11-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Bell Canada, TN 7639 and TELUS Communications Inc., TN 642

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today that judgment in the following leave applications will be delivered at 9:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday, November 10, 2021. This list is subject to change.
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Hentrose Nelson v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, et al. (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39548) 

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week. The first session of the 44th Parliament is scheduled to open on Monday, November 22, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. ET.

CRTC 

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of November 1-5, 2021

• The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 8 to 12 November 2021. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decisions:

• North Superior Broadcasting Ltd.
  CFNO-FM Marathon and its transmitter CFNO-FM-5 Longlac – Technical changes
  Public record: 2020-0852-3
• North Superior Broadcasting Ltd.
  CFNO-FM Marathon and its transmitter CFNO-FM-7 Nakina – Technical changes
  Public record: 2020-0853-1

Telecom Decision:

• Relief for area code complex 450/579 in the area surrounding Montréal, Quebec Public record: 8621-C12-01/08

Open Public Consultations: 

• Proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 for requirement for policies on Disconnecting from Work (reply comments due November 22, 2021)
• Consultation on New Access Licensing Framework, Changes to Subordinate Licensing and White Space to Support Rural and Remote Deployment  (reply comments due November 24, 2021)
• Prescribed electronic format to enable digital access to personal health information (reply comments due December 15, 2021)