Weekly Newsletter for July 25, 2023

Weekly News (July 25, 2023)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Manveetha Muddaluru with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(July 18 – July 24, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Streaming giants rebuff CRTC’s push for early Cancon payments, before regulations are finalized (National Post)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC head ‘blindsided’ staff with comments on broadcaster’s future, Poilievre: emails (Toronto Star)
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Porn sites want exemption from C-11 regulation on grounds they don’t express Canadian cultural identity (Globe and Mail)
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Major music labels ask for light touch on Bill C-11 to continue content curation (Globe and Mail)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Meta runs ads to prepare Canada for blocking content, but news groups block them in protest (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Ransomware attackers getting more sophisticated: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Toronto Star)
• [ADVERTISING] Canada’s competition commissioner doubles down on claims that Cineplex uses ‘deceptive’ marketing (Globe and Mail)
• [INTERNET POLICY] Freeland reports ‘constructive’ digital services tax talks at G20 meetings in India (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION/PRIVACY] How an FOI request revealed the state of phone number fraud in Canada (Globe and Mail)

• [CENSORSHIP] Business owners push to defund southern Manitoba libraries over book content accused of being ‘pornographic’ (CBC News)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] No basis for CRTC to intervene in TTC wireless dispute: Rogers (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] ‘When hell freezes over’: Inside the Ontario court battle over Jordan Peterson’s tweets (Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Financial institutions face class-action lawsuit over GoAnywhere data breach (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Barrick Gold targeted by Russian cybercriminal group Clop in global data theft that hit Sun Life, Vancouver transit police (Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP] City heading to court over rejected anti-abortion Hamilton bus advertisement (Toronto Star)
• [TRADEMARK] Feeling blue? Bell Canada seeks to trademark ‘Bell Blue’ signature colour (Toronto Star)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Inside a years-long FOI fight for 911 wait-time data (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Generative AI Copyright lawsuits likely won’t yield results for creative workers any time soon (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Falling telecom prices a positive sign, but phone bills still too expensive: experts (Financial Post)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] How can Canada fix its FOI systems? Norway, Mexico and others may offer solutions (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] This Trudeau minister is fighting to succeed where two other ministers stumbled. But is he doing a good job? (Toronto Star)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] OPINION: Dylan Freeman-Grist: Google and Facebook act tough in Bill C-18 standoff because they are desperate (Globe and Mail)

• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] OPINION: Taylor Owen and Supriya Dwivedi: How we can move forward, now that the divisive Bill C-18 is law (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Loreena McKennitt: Big Tech’s hands are on the throat of democracy (Toronto Star)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Peter Menzies: The CBC’s commercial operations are undermining the news industry (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: David Olive: Hollywood actors’ strike puts rare spotlight on Toronto gig workers (Toronto Star)

International News

• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] EU’s AI lobbying blitz gets lukewarm response in Asia (Reuters News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] Pressured by Biden, A.I. Companies Agree to Guardrails on New Tools (New York Times)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Apple and Google face block on taking cut from in-app purchases in Australia (The Guardian)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Iraq expels Swedish ambassador over planned burning of Qur’an in Stockholm (The Guardian)
• [MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Microsoft and Activision Delay Deal to Settle British Regulatory Issues (New York Times)
• [PRIVACY] Lawmakers approve bill allowing French police to locate suspects by tapping their devices (CTV News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Britain’s MI6 chief says his spies are using AI to disrupt flow of weapons to Russia (AP News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] K-pop’s biggest music label HYBE looks to lift language barrier with AI (Reuters News)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Hong Kong court to decide whether to ban broadcast and distribution of protest song (CTV News)
• [DEFAMATION] International officials, groups warn Bosnian Serbs new libel law is contrary to proclaimed EU path (AP News)
• [DEFAMATION] Judge upholds the $5 million jury verdict against Trump in a writer’s sex abuse and defamation case (AP News)
• [PRIVACY] Biden administration announces cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices (Los Angeles Times)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] FTC, U.S. regulators crack down on illegal robocalls, telemarketing (Reuters News)
• [HATE SPEECH] RFK Jr. denies making antisemitic comments as congressional Republicans give him a platform (AP News)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] New York governor directs agencies to investigate lead cables (Reuters News)
• [PRIVACY] Illinois residents could get chunk of $68 million settlement with Instagram (CBS News)
• [MEDIA/INDUSTRY] Twitter’s blue bird has flown as Elon Musk unveils new ‘X’ logo (CBC News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Musk’s New AI Startup Raises Questions About Tesla Plans (Financial Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google pitches news outlets on AI tools that could help produce articles (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Meta opens AI model to commercial use, throwing nascent market into flux (Reuters News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Apple tests generative AI tools to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT (Reuters News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Owler launches new ChatGPT plugin for faster company discovery, research and competitive intelligence (Financial Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Gorilla Technology Enters Strategic Relationship with British Telecom for AI-Powered Innovative Smart Port Solution (Financial Post)
• [ADVERTISING] Meta’s Threads could lure ads from Twitter but it’s early days, analysts say (Reuters News)
• [ADVERTISING] A Billboard for the Living Room? How Telly Wants Advertisers to Pay for Your TV Set (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY] Victims of MoveIt Software Hack Pile Up (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE NEWS] Google it? People now are searching with TikTok or Reddit. (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Efforts to Rein In AI Tap Lesson From Social Media: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI learned from their work. Now they want compensation. (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Uncharted territory: do AI girlfriend apps promote unhealthy expectations for human relationships? (The Guardian)
• [MEDIA/INDUSTRY] In the streaming wars, it feels like everybody’s losing (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] A Blessing and a Boogeyman: Advertisers Warily Embrace A.I. (New York Times)

(July 18  – July 24, 2023)

Information Commissioner of Canada 

• Commissioner Welcomes Parliamentary Committee’s Report on Fixing Access to Information

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

• Statement by the CRTC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Vicky Eatrides, on the Online News Act 
• CRTC sets rate that will allow for greater choice of cellphone services 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Statement from Minister Champagne regarding mobile service in the Toronto subway system 

Google 

• Our commitment to advancing bold and responsible AI, together 

Microsoft 

• Our commitments to advance safe, secure, and trustworthy AI 

Meta 

•  Meta’s First Responsible Business Practices Report  

Amazon

• Our commitment to the responsible use of AI 

Senate of Canada

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The Senate will not sit during the week of July 24 to 28, 2023. The Senate is adjourned until September 19, 2023.

House of Commons

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: the House of Commons will not sit during the week of July 24 to 28, 2023. The House is adjourned until Monday, September 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 24 to 28 July 2023
  • Broadcasting Decisions:
    • Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various television and radio stations
    • Pickering College Campus Radio, Newmarket, Ontario, English-language community radio station in Newmarket
       Public record: 2020-0036-3
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
  • Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-138: The Path Forward: Deadline for submission of interventions: July 11, 2023; replies: July 26, 2023 (notice of revised deadlines)
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

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