Weekly Newsletter for May 22, 2024

Weekly News (May 22, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(May 15 – 22, 2024)

Canadian News

• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Members of Congress say Canada’s online streaming act discriminates against Americans (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] CRTC delays implementing online streaming act until end of 2025 (Globe and Mail) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Trudeau government cuts budget of Information Commissioner (Globe and Mail) 
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Justin Trudeau warns Canadians to listen to our top spy: ‘I would absolutely not recommend someone have TikTok’  (Toronto Star) 
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] B.C.’s new info commissioner on his FOI priorities (Secret Canada) 
• [ONLINE HARMS] B.C. government and social media giants make deal on non-consensual intimate images (CBC) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Meta’s news ban in Canada: screenshots win, local news loses, study shows (City News) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION]  No expert consensus on AI risks, trajectory ‘remarkably uncertain’: report  (Toronto Star) 
• [EMERGENCY SERVICES] Google launches emergency location service in Canada for Android users (Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/COMPETITION]  Quebecor wants Ottawa to stop Loblaw from only offering Rogers, Bell phone products (BNN Bloomberg) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Half of telecom providers not following website complaints section rules: watchdog (Financial Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Nunavut MP concerned about imitations of Inuit art, says legislative response worth exploring (Globe and Mail) 
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Quebec media say new bill to protect politicians is excessive, harms free speech (CTV News) 
• [PRIVACY] Federal political parties lose bid to keep tight hold on voter information in B.C. court ruling (Globe and Mail) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] The Liberals new CBC advisory panel may be too late to save it from Poilievre’s defunding (National Post) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] Cybersecurity plan for federal government takes aim at ‘inefficiencies, blind spots’ (City News) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION]  Protesters reject McMaster University president’s offer for further discussion ‘once the encampment ends’  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Quebec judge: Pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill can stay, University’s injunction request denied (City News) 
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] OPINION: Editorial Board: The Liberals strike a blow for government secrecy (Globe and Mail) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Ian Morrison: CBC’s president has a radical proposal to remake the CBC. Here’s why Canadians should reject it before it’s too late  (Torotno Star) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Kristen Thomasen and Bianca Wylie: Canada’s focus on overhyped future threats of AI miss the harms already being perpetuated against us  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE HARMS] OPINION: Anna Sainsbury:  A new Supreme Court ruling will make it harder to catch child predators  (Toronto Star) 

International News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] AI companies make fresh safety promise at Seoul summit, nations agree to align work on risks (Globe and Mail) 
• [MEDIA/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OpenAI, WSJ Owner News Corp Strike Content Deal Valued at Over $250 Million (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION/ELECTIONS] AI disclosure required in campaign ads, FCC chair says (Reuters) 
• [FREEDOM OF PRESS] Indonesia mulls ban on investigative journalism, LGBT content (Reuters) 
• [PRIVACY/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Hong Kong regulator directs Worldcoin to cease operations citing privacy concerns (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] A lawmaker held an AI roundtable with scholars. Most had industry ties. (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] AI images are getting harder to spot. Google thinks it has a solution. (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] After year of study, senators unveil AI road map and draw hail of criticism  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Britain’s AI safety institute to open US office (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE HARMS]  ISIS allies embrace AI to spread propaganda  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Scarlett Johansson Rebukes OpenAI Over ‘Eerily Similar’ ChatGPT Voice (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION] TikTok Attempts to Rein In Weight Loss Posts (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/POLICING] Police evade bans on facial recognition  (Washington Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Man indicted after creating thousands of AI-generated child sex abuse images, prosecutors say (USA Today) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE NEWS]  Meta walked away from news. Now the company’s using it for AI content.  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Many musicians are speaking out against AI in music. But how do consumers feel? (USA Today) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION] How social media can avoid fueling another Jan. 6 ; A new report offers seven “urgent” recommendations for Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X ahead of the 2024 election.  (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY]  Illinois legislature approves measure to amend state biometric privacy law  (Chicago Tribune) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Molly Roberts: Scarlett Johansson’s ChatGPT face-off confirms our fears about AI  (Washington Post) 
• [INTERNET POLICY] OPINION: Christopher Cox and Ron Wyden: Buy This Legislation or We’ll Kill the Internet (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CAMPUS PROTESTS/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: Ro Khanna: To best protect freedom of speech, let’s speak to one another  (Washington Post) 

(May 15 – 22, 2024)

Canadian Heritage

• Helping communities address online misinformation and disinformation 

Communications Security Establishment Canada

• Canada joins international security partners in release of advisory, guidance on growing cyber security threat to civil society 

Democratic Institutions

• Government of Canada announces measures to protect Toronto- St. Paul’s by-election from foreign interference 

Competition Bureau Canada

• Canadian Digital Regulators Forum marks successful first year 

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

• Information Commissioner’s appearance before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms 
  • Telecom order 2024-109
    [2024-05-15 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1211

Microsoft

• Global Governance: Goals and Lessons for AI 

Disney 

• TNT Sports to Present College Football Playoff Games Through Sublicense with ESPN 

OpenAI 

• How the voices for ChatGPT were chosen 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will sit from May 21 – 23, 2024, with a possible sitting day on May 24, 2024.
  • Bills on the Agenda
    • C-288: An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act (transparent and accurate broadband services information) – at third reading in the Senate 

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will sit form May 21 – 24, 2024.
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU): Bill C-27, An Act to enact the Consumer Privacy Protection Act, the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act and the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts – Wednesday, May 22, 2024, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 
  • Bills on the Agenda
    • C-70:  An Act respecting countering foreign interference – At second reading in the House of Commons 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Regulatory plan to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework timeline available here
• Implementing the Online News Act timeline available here

• Anticipated releases for the week of 21 to 24 May 2024
  • The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 21 to 24 May 2024. This is subject to change without notice.

• Upcoming Hearings
  • June 28, 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-72, View hearing documents (2023-72)                
  • July 6, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-129, 2023-129-1  View hearing documents (2023-129)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

•  Call for comments – Co-development of an Indigenous Broadcasting Policy – July 22, 2024 2024-67

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

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