Weekly Newsletter for April 1, 2025

Weekly News (April 1, 2025)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Serra Hasiloglu with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(March 26 – April 1, 2025)

Canadian News

• [ELECTIONS] Federal officials vow greater transparency around foreign interference (Globe and Mail)
• [ELECTIONS/DISINFORMATION] Online sabotage: Disinformation from abroad is a real danger in a race where Canada-U.S. mistrust is high. Here’s what the cyber threats might look like (Globe and Mail)
• [CANADIAN CONTENT/ONLINE STREAMING] CRTC postpones CanCon hearings due to federal election (CTV News)
• [PRIVACY/GENETIC DATA] Selling 23andMe assets raises concerns for Canadians’ data: Ontario privacy commissioner (CTV News)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Mark Carney promises plan to ‘reform’ the CBC in coming days(National Post)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Cardozo calls for CBC/Radio-Canada reforms, says it is ‘essential service’ (Wire Report)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Why Pierre Poilievre has suddenly gone silent on defunding the CBC(Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BANKING]  CIBC signs federal government’s voluntary code of conduct for generative AI (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BANKING] RBC says winning the ‘AI arms race’ key to future growth despite trade war uncertainty (Financial Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/POLICING] Canadian police partner with AI in arms race against criminals. But at what cost? (Hamilton Spectator)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CYBERCRIME] ‘It’s the Wild West’: How AI is creating new frontiers for crime in Canada (CTV News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/LAW] Does artificial intelligence deserve a seat in Canada’s courtrooms? (Toronto Star)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/WRITING] In an age of AI, remember only you can be the writer of something meaningful (Globe and Mail)
• [COPYRIGHT/DEFAMATION/LAWSUIT] Calgary gallery sues Norval Morrisseau’s estate organization for defamation (Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP/BOOKS/LAWSUIT] A Canadian author wrote a children’s book about a puppy at Pride. Now, it’s at the centre of a U.S. Supreme Court case (Globe and Mail)
• [CENSORSHIP/BOOK BANS] Defending Democracy: Burlington Public Library Tackles Censorship in CBC’s “Ideas” Series (Hamilton Spectator)
• [PRIVACY/VOICE RECORDING DATA] Amazon alerts U.S. Alexa Echo users about important voice recording change. Here’s what Canadians need to know (Inside Halton)
• [CRYPTOCURRENCY/SCAM] Norfolk resident loses $76,000 in crypto scam: OPP (Hamilton Spectator)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE] OPINION: Paris Marx: Elon Musk started aligning with Donald Trump even before he won. Now Canada’s tech industry is following a similar playbook (Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY/GENETIC DATA] OPINION: Vass Bednar: 23andMe’s bankruptcy may be a way bigger problem than you think (Globe and Mail)
• [DIGITAL OWNERSHIP/ECONOMY] OPINION: Amy-Willard Cross: You may be staying in Canada, but your money is still flowing south (Hamilton Spectator)

International News

• [BIG TECH/COMPETITION/PRIVACY] Apple hit with $162 million French antitrust fine over privacy tool (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] EU court adviser backs WhatsApp in fight against EU privacy watchdog (Reuters)
• [INTERNET CENSORSHIP] Myanmar’s Internet Censorship Limits Information About Quake (New York Times)
• [FREEDOM OF PRESS] BBC’s Mark Lowen deported from Turkey after covering protests (BBC)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY] Over 20 envoys in Budapest express concern over Hungary’s anti-Pride law (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/CENSORSHIP] India criticises X for calling compliance website a censorship tool (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE HARMS] Banning us from social media is ‘neither practical nor effective’, UK teenagers say (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MILITARY] N. Korea’s Kim inspects test of ‘AI suicide attack drones’(BBC)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/NEWS] Italian newspaper says it has published world’s first AI-generated edition (Guardian)
• [PRIVACY/GENETIC DATA] FTC concerned about privacy protections in 23andMe bankruptcy(Reuters)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING/FREEDOM OF PRESS] Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks NPR and PBS as ‘communist,’ calls for funding to ‘end’ (CNN)
• [FREE SPEECH] What we know about the Tufts University PhD student detained by federal agents (CNN)
• [FREE SPEECH] Grad student who fled U.S. says claims about her alleged support of Hamas are ‘absurd’ (CBC)
• [DOXXING/ONLINE HARMS/CONTENT MODERATION] A militant Zionist group threatens activists online with a ‘deport list’ (Washington Post)
• [BIG TECH/IMMIGRATION/TECH WORKERS] Tech companies are telling immigrant employees on visas not to leave the U.S (Washington Post)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICAL INFLUENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] Trump dangles possibility of lower tariffs for China to make TikTok sale happen (CBC)
• [BIG TECH/SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY] Apple and Musk Clash Over Satellite Expansion Plans (Wall Street Journal)
• [BORDER SURVEILLANCE] Exclusive: Trump administration is pointing spy satellites at US border(Reuters)
• [PRIVACY/MILITARY] U.S. war plan exposed in group chat that mistakenly included a journalist(Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] How Signal Became Washington’s Favorite Messaging App (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY] Signal isn’t always safe. Make sure to follow these expert tips (Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY/LAWSUIT] She Inspired Laws to Hold the Fossil Fuel Industry Accountable. Now She’s a Target (New York Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA CENTERS/CHIPS] Chip startup Retym raises $75 million to build chip that will AI connect data centers (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/BIG TECH] Elon Musk says he sold X to his AI company (CNN)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/CYBERSECURITY] AI-Powered Cybersecurity Firm ReliaQuest Raises More Than $500 Million (Wall Street Journal)
• [SURVEILLANCE/PRIVACY/PHONE SEARCHES] Tips for Travelers Entering the U.S. Now: Check Your Visa, Turn Off Your Phone (New York Times)
• [SURVEILLANCE/MOBILITY/PHONE SEARCHES] Is it safe to travel with your phone right now?(The Verge)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/NEWS/LAWSUIT] Tribune lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft to proceed (Chicago Tribune)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT/LAWSUIT] Anthropic wins early round in music publishers’ AI copyright case (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] AI generated Ghibli images go viral as OpenAI loosens its rules (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] ‘No consent’: Australian authors ‘livid’ that Meta may have used their books to train AI (Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MODELLING] H&M to use digital clones of models in ads and social media (BBC)
• [BIG TECH]  BOOK REVIEW: Samantha Edwards: Former Facebook exec’s tell-all memoir Careless People is the book Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t want you to read (Globe and Mail)

(March 26 – April 1, 2025)

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has decided the following leave applications.
  • [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] DISMISSED: Yazdan Khorsand v. Toronto Police Services Board and Toronto Police Chief James Ramer (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (41481)
  • [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] DISMISSED: TekSavvy Solutions Inc. v. Bell Canada, Bragg Communications Incorporated, c.o.b. as Eastlink, Cogeco Communications Inc., Rogers Communications Canada Inc., Shaw Cablesystems G.P., Quebecor Media Inc. (Videotron Ltd.) and Telus Communications Inc. (Fed.) (Civil) (By Leave) (41486)

Office of the United States Trade Representative

• USTR Releases 2025 National Trade Estimate Report citing the Online Streaming Act as a service barrier and the Digital Service Tax (DST) as a digital trade barrier

Elections Canada

• News releases:
  • Preliminary Election Expenses Limits Now Available
  • There Are Several Ways to Vote in the Federal General Election

Competition Bureau Canada

• News release:
  • Competition Bureau announces adjustment to merger review filing fee, effective April 1, 2025

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• News release:
  • Privacy Commissioner launches breach risk self-assessment tool for organizations

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• News release:
  • Voter Contact Registry now open
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Broadcasting notice of consultation 2025-2-2
    [2025-03-31 11:00:00]
    Notice of hearing – 18 June 2025 (previously 12 May 2025) – Gatineau, Quebec – The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system – Change of hearing date – Public record: 1011-NOC2025-0002
  • Broadcasting notice of consultation 2024-288-3
    [2025-03-31 11:00:00]
    Notice of hearing – 14 May 2025 (previously 31 March 2025) – Gatineau, Quebec – The Path Forward – Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector – Change of hearing date – Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0288
  • Telecom decision 2025-83
    [2025-03-31 11:00:00]
    Bell Canada – Request for clarity on the terms used to calculate annual funding for the Canadian Numbering Administration Consortium, Inc. – Public record: 8633-B2-202400323
  • Broadcasting information bulletin 2025-82
    [2025-03-27 11:00:00]
    Guidelines for all licensees of broadcasting undertakings serving Canada – Federal general election
  • Broadcasting order 2025-81
    [2025-03-27 11:00:00]
    Broadcasting Fees

Report by Senator Andrew Cardozo

• CBC/Radio-Canada, An essential service

Meta

• Partnering Directly With Schools and Teachers to Address Bullying
• We’re launching user choice billing in the UK
• The Gemini app will offer enterprise-grade data protection for all Google Workspace for Education institutions

OpenAI

• Introducing 4o Image Generation
• New funding to build towards AGI
• Security on the Path to AGI

TikTok

• TikTok’s Fifth Transparency Report: Our Progress Under the EU Disinformation Code

House of Commons and Senate of Canada 

• The dissolution of the 44th Parliament occurred on March 23, 2025. Parliamentary business, including most committee business, is ended until the 45th Parliament.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 31 March to 4 April 2025:
  • The CRTC does not plan to issue any decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 31 March to 4 April 2025. This is subject to change without notice. 
• Upcoming hearings:
  • May 14, 2025 (previously 31 March 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, 2024-288-1, 2024-288-2, 2024-288-3 – View hearing documents (2024-288)
  • 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, 2024-318-1, 2024-318-2
    View hearing documents (2024-318)             
  • June 18, 2025 (previously 12 May 2025) – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing -The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system – Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-2, 2025-2-1, 2025-2-2 – View hearing documents (2025-2)
  • June 18, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec) – POSTPONED
    Notice of hearing – The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous audio content – Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-52, 2025-52-1 – View hearing documents (2025-52)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Spectrum Management Consultations

• Consultation on the 26 GHz and 38 GHz Bands – Respondents should submit their comments no later than May 5, 2025 to ensure consideration.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Consultation on the implementation of the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) Forum certifications in Canada – Respondents should complete the online consultation form and submit their feedback no later than June 30, 2025.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Share your thoughts on Canadian content for audio services – End date: April 7, 2025

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