Weekly Newsletter for February 11, 2025

Weekly News (February 11, 2025)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Serra Hasiloglu with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(February 5 – 11, 2025)

Canadian News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY] Trudeau says powering AI without compromising climate change is a G7 priority (Globe and Mail)
• [BIG TECH/ONLINE NEWS] Ottawa ends Meta ad boycott, spending nearly $300,000 on Facebook and Instagram campaigns (Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] Ottawa restricts AI chatbot from Chinese firm DeepSeek from some government phones (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Rogers files response to Competition Bureau, says it hasn’t misled customers about unlimited data plans (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Bell CEO slams CRTC, announces further slowdown of fibre network build (Bloomberg)
• [ONLINE NEWS/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] Federal unit uncovers ‘malicious’ effort tied to China aimed at Chrystia Freeland (Toronto Star)
• [DEFAMATION] Former human rights chief commissioner sues for defamation (Toronto Star)
• [ONLINE NEWS/CANADIAN CONTENT] Majority of Canadians want feds to switch ads to domestic outlets; Poll finds higher trust in Canada’s media than U.S (National Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] As federal government explores new uses for AI in the public service, experts call for caution (CTV News) 
• [BROADCASTING/INDUSTRY] Amid cross-border tariff tussle, Canadian film crews see peril and opportunity (Toronto Star)
• [ONLINE HARMS/SCAM] Police seek suspect in alleged Canada-wide romance scam that cost victims $275k (Global News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/JOB MARKET] How young workers are seeking an AI education to gain an upper hand in the job market (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Should you trust ChatGPT and DeepSeek with your data? Here’s what the experts say (Toronto Star)
• [BORDER SURVEILLANCE] OPINION: Julie Young, Daniel E. Martinez, Dylan Simburger & Simon Granovsky-Larsen: The hidden truth about migrant deaths at the Canada-U.S. border (The Conversation)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] OPINION: Andrew Willis: Shopify’s Lütke and other appeasers miss Trump’s real agenda on tariffs (Globe and Mail)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Barry Hertz and J. Kelly Nestruck: ‘Let’s get angry’: Are the tariffs the push Canada needs to finally embrace homegrown film and television? (Globe and Mail)
• [INTELLIGENCE/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] OPINION: Wesley Wark: Trump’s pick for intelligence chief is a problem for Canada. The solution may sound familiar (Toronto Star)

International News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] ‘Engine of inequality’: delegates discuss AI’s global impact at Paris summit (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] EU lays out guidelines on misuse of AI by employers, websites and police (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Macron Pitches Lighter Regulation to Fuel A.I. Boom in Europe (New York Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] AI race must be led by ‘western, liberal, democratic’ countries, says UK minister (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MILITARY] Helsing, Mistral to Jointly Develop AI Systems for Military Use (Wall Street Journal)
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION] U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts(Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA CENTERS] Keir Starmer unveils plan for large nuclear expansion across England and Wales (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA CENTERS] France, UAE agree to develop 1 gigawatt AI data centre (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] China unveils US tariffs and Google investigation in response to Trump levies (Guardian)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] German civil activists win victory in election case against Musk’s X (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Fake cases, judges’ headaches and new limits: Australian courts grapple with lawyers using AI (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PRIVACY] Elon Musk’s DOGE is feeding sensitive federal data into AI to target cuts (Washington Post)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] Trump defends Musk and says Doge will look at military spending (BBC)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Elon Musk Leads $97.4 Billion Bid to Control OpenAI (New York Times) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/REGULATION] 5 Notes From the Big A.I. Summit in Paris (New York Times) 
• [BIG TECH/PRIVACY] Students sue Education Department, allege DOGE is accessing private data(USA Today)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Trump’s Paris AI summit delegation won’t include AI Safety Institute staff, sources say (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MILITARY/SURVEILLANCE] Google drops pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ADVERTISING] OpenAI Set to Make Super Bowl Ad Debut (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/EDUCATION] OpenAI targets higher education in the U.S. with ChatGPT rollout at California State University (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/INNOVATION] AI ‘godfather’ predicts another revolution in the tech in next five years (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] OPINION: Zeynep Tufekci: The Dangerous A.I. Nonsense That Trump and Biden Fell For (New York Times)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] OPINION: Lina M. Khan: Stop Worshiping the American Tech Giants (New York Times)

(February 5 – 11, 2025)

Global Affairs Canada

• Statement:
  • Rapid Response Mechanism Canada detects information operation targeting a candidate for the leadership campaign of the Liberal Party of Canada

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Speech:
  • Remarks by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at the Access to Information and Privacy Communities Meeting for Data Privacy Week
  • Remarks by the Privacy Commissioner to the Anti-Racism Ambassadors Network and the Interdepartmental Network for Diversity and Employment Equity 
  • Remarks by the Privacy Commissioner to the Troisième colloque en droit Public du Barreau de l’Outaouais

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom order 2025-43
    [2025-02-07 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund – Change request – The Kativik Regional Government’s transport fibre project in northern Quebec – February 2025 – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Telecom order 2025-42
    [2025-02-07 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund – Change request – The Kativik Regional Government’s transport fibre project in Kuujjuaq, Quebec – February 2025 – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Telecom order 2025-41
    [2025-02-04 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1193
  • Telecom order 2025-40
    [2025-02-04 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis, as modified by Telecom Order 2023-379, the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1192
  • Telecom decision 2025-39
    [2025-02-03 16:00:00]
    Reconsideration of Telecom Decision 2023-358 – Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0292

United Nations

• Bridging the divide: General Assembly President on UN reforms and Africa’s digital future

OpenAI

• Introducing the Intelligence Age

Meta

• Announcing the Language Technology Partner Program

Google

• The AI Action Summit: A golden age of innovation
• New AI features coming to Workspace for Nonprofits
• AI and the future of scientific leadership

Microsoft

• How real-world businesses are transforming with AI – with 50 new stories 

TikTok

• Facts Matter: How TikTok Protects U.S. User Data

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 Senatorsand 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

• Anticipated releases for the week of 10 to 14 February 2025:
  • The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 10 to 14 February 2025. This is subject to change without notice. 
  • Broadcasting Decision:
    • Vista Radio Inc.
      Various locations in British Columbia
      Various radio stations in British Columbia – Change in ownership and effective control
      Public record: 2024-0135-5
  • Telecom Order:
• Broadband Fund – Change request – Northwestel Inc.’s Yukon fibre project – February 2025
  Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0191
• 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)
  • March 27, 2025 – National Capital Region
    Notice of hearing – The Commission intends to consider the following applications, subject to interventions, without the appearance of the parties in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-18 – View hearing documents (2025-18
  • March 31, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing – The Path Forward – Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-288 – View hearing documents (2024-288)            
  • May 12, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing -The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system – Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-2 – View hearing documents (2025-2)
  • June 10, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing – Making it easier for consumers to shop for Internet services – Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-318 – View hearing documents (2024-318)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom 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 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-20) Call for comments – Improving the routing of 9-8-8 calls and texts –  Deadline for submission of replies: 10 March 2025 
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-294-1) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Removing barriers to switching plans – Changes to procedure – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 14 March 2025  
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-295-1) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing self-service mechanisms – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 12 March 2025   
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-293-1) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing customer notification – Changes to procedure – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 28 February 2025   
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-10) Call for comments – Implementing a retail Internet service subsidy in the Far North – Deadline for submission of replies: 28 February2025
• Share your thoughts on enhancing self-service – End date: March 12, 2025
• Share your thoughts about removing barriers to switching plans – End date: February 28, 2025
• Share your thoughts on market dynamics and sustainability of Canada’s broadcasting system – End date: February 24, 2025 
• Share your thoughts on making shopping for Internet easier – End date: February 20, 2025
• Share your thoughts on the implementation of an Internet subsidy in the Far North –  End date: February 18, 2025 
• Share your thoughts about enhancing customer notification – End date: February 14, 2025

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