Weekly Newsletter for January 14, 2025

Weekly News (January 14, 2025)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Serra Hasiloglu with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(January 07 – 14, 2025)

Canadian News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION/CONTENT MODERATION] Meta to end fact-checking on Instagram, Facebook in bid to align with Trump’s policies (Globe and Mail)  
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] CRTC to hold hearing on impact of global streamers on Canadian broadcasting (Globe and Mail) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] The U.S. TikTok ban is going before the Supreme Court. What does this mean for Canada? (Toronto Star) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] With Conservatives promising to ‘defund,’ could the next election kill the CBC? (Globe and Mail) 
• [ONLINE HARMS BILL] Host of government bills stopped in their tracks by halt of Parliament (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] B.C. court approves class-action lawsuit about privacy over Home Depot receipts (CBC) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BANKING] RBC partners with Cohere to develop AI platform for bank employees (Globe and Mail) 
• [CYBERSECURITY]  Cybersecurity breach of Nova Scotia school system could have financial impact  (Toronto Star) 
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION/CYBERSECURITY] Canadian school boards among those affected by cyber incident involving third party (Global News) 
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION/CYBERSECURITY] Public school students’ medical records may have been involved in PowerSchool data breach, spokesperson says(Hamilton Spectator) 
• [PRIVACY] Oakville to Launch Automated Speed Enforcement Program by End of January (Hamilton Spectator)
• [CYBERSECURITY] OPP investigate cyber incident affecting Kingston police IT systems (Toronto Star) 
• [CANADIAN CONTENT/SPORTS/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Former Montreal Alouette Brandon London stars in new sports show with AI co-host (Toronto Star) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Is it still ‘social media’ if it’s overrun by AI? (CBC) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Kyle Hiebert: Rainbows and butterflies and tech baron dreams of superintelligence — or, maybe that’s just an AI hallucination(Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: John Degen: A meeting of (sentient) minds: Are humans like us doomed to be obsolete? (Toronto Star) 

International News

• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] Elon Musk is on a tear as he shakes up politics in Europe. What’s his endgame? (CBC) 
• [ONLINE HARMS/ELECTION-RELATED MISINFORMATION] Musk uses X to amplify German far-right leader’s views ahead of election (National Post) 
• [MISINFORMATION] U.K. leader Starmer slams ‘lies and misinformation’ after attacks from Elon Musk (National Public Radio)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] UK’s Starmer says Britain will go its own way on AI regulation (Reuters) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] EU considers expanding probe into Musk’s X, Bloomberg News says (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MILITARY] Chinese tech companies Tencent, CATL and others protest US listings as army-linked companies  (ABC News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] Biden’s sweeping new AI export controls cover most of the world (Washington Post) 
• [CENSORSHIP/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Congo bans Al Jazeera over its interview with a key rebel leader and threatens journalists (Associated Press) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] OpenAI wooed Democrats with calls for AI regulation. Now it must charm Trump. (Washington Post) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Sprint to Remake Meta for the Trump Era (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok’s Founder Has a Formula for Everything. Can It Crack the Supreme Court? (Wall Street Journal) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Meta deals a blow to fact-checking. Critics say politics is to blame.(Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Mark Zuckerberg says corporate culture was ‘neutered’ as Meta scraps DEI (Washington Post) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Is Facing Legal Backlash Around the World (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] ‘TikTok is our most pressing concern?’ Creators fear livelihoods at risk with potential ban (USA Today) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] US supports Musk argument in OpenAI lawsuit (Reuters) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION] Social-Media Companies Decide Content Moderation Is Trending Down (Wall Street Journal) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] As Trump takes over, FTC’s Lina Khan says Big Tech scrutiny will persist (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] Meta knew it used pirated books to train AI, authors say (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/POLICING] Arrested by AI: Police ignore standards after facial recognition matches (Washington Post) 
• [CRYPTOCURRENCY] Inside Elon Musk’s Plan for DOGE to Slash Government Costs(New York Times) 
• [PRIVACY/LAWSUIT] Texas Sues Allstate Over Its Collection of Driver Data (New York Times) 
• [ONLINE ADVERTISING/ONLINE HARMS] Sexually explicit Facebook ads raise eyebrows in Europe (Washington Post) 
• [ONLINE STREAMING] Sports Streaming Service From Media Giants Ends Before It Starts (New York Times) 
• [DEFAMATION] CNN defamation trial comes at a rough time for legacy media – and for the struggling network (Associated Press) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE HARMS] Fable, a Book App, Makes Changes After Offensive A.I. Messages (New York Times) 
• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] Elon Musk isn’t the only tech leader helping shape the Trump administration (Washington Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MISINFORMATION] After AI photo of Hollywood sign in flames circulates, experts say be wary of fakes (Toronto Star)  
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Christopher Dietzel: Banning children from social media won’t solve the problems we’re facing; Australia is instituting a ban for youth under 16. But these researchers question what that actually achieves (Hamilton Spectator)  
• [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Julia Angwin: This Is What It Looks Like When Mark Zuckerberg Runs Out of Ideas (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Mike Gallagher: Congress Didn’t Ban TikTok(Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DIVERSITY] OPINION: Karen Attiah: I talked to Meta’s Black AI character. Here’s what she told me. (Washington Post) 

(January 07 – 14, 2025)

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• News Release:
  • CRTC consults on market dynamics within Canada’s broadcasting system 
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom order 2025-3
    [2025-01-10 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis, by majority decision, the following tariff application: Independent Telecommunications Providers Association, TN 122
  • Broadcasting notice of consultation 2025-2
    [2025-01-09 14:00:00]
    Notice of hearing – 12 May 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec – The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system
  • Telecom order 2025-1
    [2025-01-08 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund payment order – Approval of final implementation reports – December 2024 – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372

United Nations

• Al Jazeera ban must be lifted, rights experts urge Palestinian Authority  

Meta

•  More Speech and Fewer Mistakes  

Apple 

•  Our longstanding privacy commitment with Siri 

Disney 

• At Global Tech & Data Showcase, Disney Advertising Charts the Future of Transformative Innovation 

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  Parliament is prorogued – The prorogation of the first session of the 44^th Parliament was proclaimed on January 6, 2025. Parliamentary business, including committee business (other than the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators and the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight), is ended and will reconvene on March 24, 2025 for the second session of the 44^th Parliament.

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The 1st session of the 44th Parliament was prorogued on January 6, 2025. Prorogation occurs when the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, issues a proclamation putting an end to a parliamentary session. In practice, as soon as Parliament is either prorogued or dissolved, all committee activity ceases and, as such, all orders of reference and committee studies lapse. 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Interventions to regarding the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ proposed plan for the operation of a temporary fund supporting local news production by commercial radio stations in smaller markets 
• Anticipated Releases for the week of 13 to 17 January 2025:
  • The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 13 to 17 January 2025. This is subject to change without notice. 
  • Telecom Notice of Consultation:
    • Implementing a retail Internet service subsidy in the Far North – Public record: 1011-NOC2025-0YYY
  • Telecom Regulatory Policy
    • Telecommunications in the Far North – Public records: 8622-S93-202008482, 1011-NOC2020-0367, and 1101-NOC2022-0147     
• Upcoming hearings:
  •  February 11, 2025 – Yellowknife (Northwest Territories)
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-213 – View hearing documents (2024-213)             
  • April 17, 2023 – Whitehorse, Yukon
    Call for comments – Telecommunications in the Far North, Phase II – Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-147, 2022-147-1, 2022-147-2, 2022-147-3, 2022-147-4 – View hearing documents (2022-147)
  • May 3, 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-6, 2023-6-1, 2023-6-2 – View hearing documents (2023-6)
  • May 11, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-49 – View hearing documents (2023-49)
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings

Consultations:

Spectrum Management Consultations

•  Consultation on Changes to Licensing Requirements and Conditions of Licence on Space Debris Mitigation – Respondents should submit their comments no later than February 25, 2025 to ensure consideration 
• Consultation on a Fee Framework and Amendments to Conditions of Licence for Certain Spectrum Licences Used to Provide Commercial Mobile Services Below 10 GHz – Respondents should submit their comments no later than January 22, 2025 to ensure consideration

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Share your thoughts on market dynamics and sustainability of Canada’s broadcasting system  – End date: February 24, 2025 
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-295) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing self-service mechanisms – Deadline for submission of interventions – Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025 
• Share your thoughts on making shopping for Internet easier – End date: February 20, 2025
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-294) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Removing barriers to switching plans Deadline for submission of interventions – Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-293) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing customer notification Deadline for submission of interventions – Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025   
• Share your thoughts about enhancing customer notification – End date: February 14, 2025 
• Share your thoughts on Canadian content for TV and online streaming services: End date – End date: January 20, 2025 
• Share your thoughts about the modernization of radio processes  Current status: End date – End date: January 20, 2025 

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