Weekly Newsletter for June 25, 2024

Weekly News (June 25, 2024)

Compiled by Brad McNeil with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(June 19 – 25, 2024)

Canadian News

• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Google chose a Canadian group to administer a $100M news fund — and set off a dispute over who should dole it out  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION] Warning labels on social media platforms won’t help protect children, health minister says  (Toronto Star)  
• [INTERNET POLICY] Majority of millennials, Gen Z don’t support Trudeau’s internet regulation plans: poll (National Post)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] AI companies press Ottawa for exemption around copyright laws (Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/SURVEILLANCE] Surveillance risks posed by AI among the technology’s most urgent problems: Hinton (City News) 
• [BROADCASTING/CULTURAL POLICY] OMNI Television producers want access to Canadian Media Fund for multicultural programming (Globe and Mail) 
• [DEFAMATION]  Judge allows former Liberal MP’s defamation lawsuit against Global News to proceed: ‘It is indisputable that the defendants’ reports slandered’ Han Dong  (Toronto Star) 
• [CYBERATTACK] Cyberattacks Disrupt Car Sales by Dealers in U.S. and Canada (New York Times) 
• [CYBERATTACK] Cyberattack: Hackers lurked undiscovered in Hamilton’s IT network for 20 days  (Hamilton Spectator) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] From regulations to open-source: What AI Alliance members want Canada to prioritize (Globe and Mail)  
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Lawyers for University of Toronto encampment argue free speech in court (Globe and Mail) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] University of Toronto tells court hearing that encampment restricts liberty and expression (Globe and Mail)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] News fund coalition open to expansion; Small collective invites larger firms to help it dole out Google money  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE HARMS; HARASSMENT; THREATENING SPEECH] Justice minister says RCMP has tools it needs to handle threats against politicians (CBC) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE HARMS] OPINION: Editorial Board: Social media is a public health threat for our youth. Our leaders must take it seriously (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] OPINION: Benoit Chartier: Guardrails needed in disbursing Google funding to media (National Post) 
• [CAMPUS PROTEST/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION: Konrad Yakabuski: McGill’s pro-Palestinian encampment’s ‘revolutionary’ curriculum has no place on campus  (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/JOURNALISM] OPINION: Joshua Krane: Here’s what we need to do to keep Canadian journalism alive  (Toronto Star) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] OPINION: Editorial Board: Ottawa’s levy on streaming services is no screen saver (Globe and Mail) 

International News

• [ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION] UN chief tells consumer tech firms: own the harm your products cause (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COMPETITION] Apple charged with breaching EU tech rules, faces another probe (Reuters) 
• [COMPETITION] Microsoft breached antitrust rules by bundling Teams with office software, EU says  (Globe and Mail) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ANTITRUST] Apple’s European Headache  (New York Times) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Exclusive: US probing China Telecom, China Mobile over internet, cloud risks (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/LAWSUIT] Record companies sue AI music generators Suno, Udio  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES] Political deepfakes top list of malicious AI use, DeepMind finds (Financial Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/INDUSTRY] Apple, Meta Have Discussed an AI Partnership (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PERSONAL DATA] What the Arrival of A.I. Phones and Computers Means for Our Data  (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] Research indicates AI chatbots can detect each other’s mistakes  (Washington Post) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION] How Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Failed Children on Safety, States Say (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI is exhausting the power grid. Tech firms are seeking a miracle solution.  (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY] U.S. Moves Ahead With Plan to Restrict Chinese Technology Investments  (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/WEB SCRAPING] Exclusive: Multiple AI companies bypassing web standard to scrape publisher sites, licensing firm says (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Spotting Potholes—and Other Ways San Jose Hopes to Use AI to Improve Public Services (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/ONLINE HARMS]  Instagram: Tests showing sexual videos recommended to accounts for teens don’t match ‘reality’ (The Hill)  
• [CONTENT REGULATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] YouTube is copying X’s most interesting feature (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES/DISINFORMATION] In China, AI transformed Ukrainian YouTuber into a Russian (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA PRIVACY] Are Instagram and Facebook Really Using Your Posts to Train AI? What to Know. (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/PLATFORM REGULATION/LAWSUIT] US lawsuit against TikTok to focus on children’s privacy (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CYBERSECURITY] AI Is Helping Scammers Outsmart You—and Your Bank (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] U.S. bans sales of Kaspersky anti-virus software, citing ties to Russia (Washington Post) 
• [CYBERSECURITY]  Demand for better cybersecurity fuels a booming job market (Washington Post)  
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DEEPFAKES] OPINION: Leach Henrickson & Dominique Carlon: An influencer’s AI clone started offering fans ‘mind-blowing sexual experiences’ without her knowledge (The Conversation) 

(June 19 – 25, 2024)

Supreme Court of Canada 

• Judgment on Appeal
  • [PRIVACY]York Region District School Board v. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, 2024 SCC 22

Senate of Canada

• Bill C-69: An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024 – Received royal assent on June 20, 2024.  

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• News Release:
  • Expanding high-speed Internet access in Northern Ontario 
• Backgrounder:
  • Backgrounder: Governments of Canada and Ontario to bring high-speed Internet access to Ontario communities 

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada 

• 2023-2024 Annual Report – Upholding the right of access: a matter of safeguarding the public trust  

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Announcement:
  • Privacy Commissioner meets with Asia-Pacific counterparts

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms
  • Broadcasting decision 2024-136
    [2024-06-20 11:00:00]
    Comité de la radio communautaire Huronne-Wyandot inc. – Wendake, Quebec – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate an Indigenous (Type B) FM radio station in Wendake
  • Broadcasting decision 2024-135
    [2024-06-19 14:00:00]
    9188-7208 Québec inc. – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec – Application to change the authorized contours of the French-language radio station CKVD-FM Vaudreuil-Dorion

The TechLobby 

• 2023 TechLobby Annual Report 

Google 

• How governments can help deploy digital solutions for climate action 

OpenAI

• A Holistic Approach to Undesired Content Detection in the Real World 

TikTok 

• TikTok Files Opening Brief on Unconstitutional Ban 

Supreme Court of Canada 

• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY/COPYRIGHT] “The Supreme Court of Canada will decide the following leave applications at 9:45 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 27, 2024.”
  • Voltage Holdings, LLC v. Doe #1, et al. (Fed.) (Civil) (By Leave) (41026) 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will not be sitting the week of June 24 – 28, 2024. The next scheduled sitting day is September 17, 2024.

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will not be sitting the week of July 24 – 28, 2024. The next scheduled sitting day is September 16, 2024.
  • Meetings:
    • Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC): Documents Requested by the Commissioner of the PublicInquiry Into Interference in Federal Processes – Thursday, June 20, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.  

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 25 to 28 June 2024. This is subject to change without notice.
  • Neeti P. Ray, on behalf of corporations to be incorporated Hamilton and Windsor, Ontario CKWW Windsor, CHAM Hamilton and CKOC Hamilton – Change in ownership and effective control – Public records: 2023-0534-1, 2023-0629-0 and 2023-0630-8 
    

• 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)
  • September 14, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-206, View hearing documents (2023-206)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Spectrum Management Consultations

•  Consultation on a Policy, Licensing and Technical Framework for Supplemental Mobile Coverage by Satellite  – Closing date for comments: September 13, 2024. Closing date for reply to comments: October 25, 2024

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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

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