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Éric Forest defends CBC to colleagues in Senate debate

Media | 05/29/2024 7:10 pm EDT

Éric Forest defends CBC to colleagues in Senate debateÉric Forest of the Independent Senators Group took to the floor of the Red Chamber Tuesday to defend CBC/Radio-Canada. He was speaking to a motion introduced by Progressive Senator Andrew Cardozo. Forest began by acknowledging the mandate review announced earlier this...

Privacy commissioner flags excessive site blocking, privacy risks in age verification bill

Internet and Governance | 05/29/2024 6:38 pm EDT

Telecom Act can act as guide to Online Streaming Act, Dufresne tells SenateA Senate bill aimed at protecting children from the harms of exposure to online pornography risks stepping on the free speech and privacy rights of Canadians, according to the...

Social media companies sued by school boards in Ontario

Internet and Governance | 03/28/2024 5:12 pm EDT

TikTok's logo on an iPhone.Four Ontario school boards have launched a lawsuit against three social...

Education key to combating foreign interference on social media, ETHI hears

Internet and Governance | 11/21/2023 5:12 pm EST

Education key to combating foreign interference on social media, ETHI hearsCanadians need to be educated about the dangers posed by foreign actors...

Facebook use remains constant despite news ban

Internet and Governance | 08/29/2023 4:45 pm EDT

CRTC consulting on new radio stations in Northern OntarioMeta Platforms Inc. has not experienced any notable drop in Facebook usage despite banning news content...

Feds earmark $5.5 million to fight disinformation

Internet and Governance | 06/07/2023 5:59 pm EDT

Feds earmark $5.5 million to fight disinformationThe federal government is spending $5.5 million to create the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN), it was announced Wednesday. The organization will combat disinformation and will promote digital literacy in this country. It will be administered by the Media...

Facebook blocking threat “unacceptable”, Rodriguez states

Internet and Governance | 06/02/2023 2:17 pm EDT

Election 2019: watch for price caps, Netflix regs, Huawei banCanadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is not impressed by Meta...

OPC appeals court Facebook decision 

Internet and Governance | 05/15/2023 3:31 pm EDT

OPC calls for changes to Bill C-27The federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner has filed notice that it intends to appeal last month's...

Senators continue fight over Streaming Act and CBC’s future

Media | 02/08/2023 1:22 pm EST

Chair of Senate committee studying C-11 defends his fundraising letter against the billThe battle over the government’s Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11,...

Gov. announces $1.2m in misinformation research funding

Internet and Governance | 01/11/2023 3:22 pm EST

Gov. announces $1.2m in misinformation research fundingThe federal government Wednesday announced that the department of Canadian...

Ministers vow to monitor American proposals on TikTok

Media | 12/15/2022 2:03 pm EST

Election 2019: watch for price caps, Netflix regs, Huawei banThe ministers most responsible for telecom and broadcasting policy in Canada are pledging to follow...

CRTC must hold public hearings for interim exemption orders in Online News Act

Media | 11/29/2022 7:02 pm EST

CRTC must hold public hearings for interim exemption orders in Online News ActThe House of Commons Heritage committee passed an amendment to the...

Rodriguez urges senators to pass Online Streaming Act

Media | 11/22/2022 8:17 pm EST

44.5% of under-30 households don’t have TV: reportCanadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and members of his department were the final witnesses as the...

Broadcasters want policy direction on C-11; streamers want their algorithms left alone

Media | 09/15/2022 7:51 pm EDT

44.5% of under-30 households don’t have TV: reportCanadian broadcasting executives, from companies both big and small, told Senators studying the government’s efforts to update the Broadcasting Act that they would like to...

Gov. announced 11 projects, with $2.4M funding, to combat disinformation

Internet and Governance | 07/21/2022 4:11 pm EDT

Gov. announced 11 projects, with $2.4M funding, to combat disinformationThe ministers of Canadian Heritage and Intergovernmental Affairs,...

Gov. tables three-headed private sector privacy reform bill

Media | 06/16/2022 5:45 pm EDT

BREAKING: Feds ban Huawei from 5G networksTouting it as a "historic day" at an afternoon press conference, Innovation...

Scott is wrong to think the CRTC can handle C-11: former CRTC vice-chair; Unifor wants local news fund added

Media | 05/24/2022 5:44 pm EDT

U.S. NAFTA consult targets CanCon, copyright, data rulesFormer CRTC vice-chair Peter Menzies has claimed that it "makes no sense" for the CRTC to regulate content on the internet through the Online Streaming Act, despite claims by...

Scott says CRTC will never regulate user-generated content under current Bill C-11 

Media | 04/05/2022 3:30 pm EDT

Scott says CRTC will never regulate user-generated content under current Bill C-11 The CRTC is generally supportive of Bill C-11, the revised broadcasting...

Hate groups need legislative stops on fundraising, security committee hears

Media | 03/31/2022 7:50 pm EDT

CRTC consulting on new radio stations in Northern OntarioExtremist groups are able to propagate their message and raise funds...

Bill C-11 a new bill with no new ideas, and a ‘legal pretzel’ for censorship: CPC

Media | 03/01/2022 5:05 pm EST

ARIN asks Parliament to require ISPs to maintain Whois infoFor the second time in the span of a year, the...

Google says Canada pursuing unique approach to news compensation

Media | 02/23/2022 5:55 pm EST

Election 2019: watch for price caps, Netflix regs, Huawei banCanada’s pending news media compensation legislation is based on key...

Witnesses raise issues with Senate bill restricting youth online access to porn

Internet and Governance | 02/10/2022 2:03 pm EST

Senators asked to champion net neutrality in comms laws reviewInternet and criminal justice experts sounded the alarm on a proposed...

Gov. reintroduces Broadcasting Act update, with social media exemption

Media | 02/02/2022 7:32 pm EST

Gov. reintroduces Broadcasting Act update, with social media exemptionOTTAWA -- Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodríguez called previous...

New Broadcast Act update appears on order paper as Tories oppose move

Internet and Governance | 02/01/2022 6:05 pm EST

Big telecoms fight calls for an ‘ISP tax’, pitch new OTT rulesThe government placed legislation to change the Broadcasting Act on the...

B.C. Appeal Court rules provincial court has jurisdiction over defamation suit against Twitter

Media | 12/21/2021 2:56 pm EST

Twitter lobbying on online ads in wake of proposed elections billThe Court of Appeal for British Columbia upheld a lower-court ruling allowing the CEO of the Fiore Group of Companies and Lionsgate Entertainment founder, Frank Giustra, to...

Hedy Fry new chair of Heritage committee

Media | 12/13/2021 5:43 pm EST

Hedy Fry new chair of Heritage committeeOTTAWA – Veteran Liberal MP Hedy Fry was elected chair of the House of Commons committee on Canadian...

Successor bill to C-10 “absolute priority”, Rodriguez says

Media | 11/23/2021 11:50 am EST

Election 2019: watch for price caps, Netflix regs, Huawei banCanadian Heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez says revisions to the...

Broadcasting regulation debate at electoral standstill as advocates, industry react

Media | 09/14/2021 7:16 pm EDT

Fast-track OTT review, clock ticking on CMF ‘top-up’: CMPAAccording to an advocacy group opposing restrictions on the internet,...

Ontario privacy watchdog says province should update privacy law, even without feds

Media | 09/07/2021 5:59 pm EDT

Home internet speeds nearly doubled year-over-year: CRTCThe Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC)...

Heritage launches consultation on digital platform revenue sharing for news sector

Media | 08/03/2021 6:03 pm EDT

Heritage launches consultation on digital platform revenue sharing for news sectorCanadian Heritage is seeking input on how best to compensate the news sector after a preliminary study showed there was consensus among stakeholders that government...

Senate begins C-10 analysis with broad debate 

Media | 06/24/2021 10:41 am EDT

Throne speech reiterates rural broadband, web giant promisesSenators are looking beyond the free speech issues raised by critics of the revised Broadcasting Act and...

C-10 headed to HoC; Bloc adds 5 year review of act

Media | 06/11/2021 6:10 pm EDT

As CRTC rejects FairPlay, proposal could move to legislative reviewsA debate which Canadian Heritage Committee chair Scott Simms has jokingly said was “so exciting we...

NDP says Libs are to blame for C-10 delays as HoC passes ‘gag order’

Media | 06/07/2021 6:26 pm EDT

Confusion over Guilbeault remarks on BTLR online news recsThe Liberals and the Bloc Québécois cooperated to pass a motion in the...

Judge grants Facebook evidence request in proposed class action

Media | 05/31/2021 6:05 pm EDT

A Quebec judge has ruled that Facebook Inc. can bring forward evidence the company believes will assist it in challenging a proposed class-action lawsuit.  Facebook has been accused by an...

Conservative attempt to reintroduce C-10 social media exclusion fails

Media | 05/31/2021 5:48 pm EDT

The federal government’s Canadian Heritage Committee is holding firm on plans to subject social media to broadcasting regulations after it voted down a proposed amendment from the Conservative Party...

CRTC chair asserts personal preference for facilities-based competition

telecom | 05/20/2021 5:59 pm EDT

CRTC chair asserts personal preference for facilities-based competitionCRTC chair Ian Scott said he believes the commission’s pick of a...

Heritage and Justice ministers to appear before CHPC to address charter concerns

Media | 05/10/2021 6:25 pm EDT

Confusion over Guilbeault remarks on BTLR online news recsThe House of Commons’ Heritage Committee is moving forward with a charter...

Libs now seek to restrict CRTC social media powers, Bloc says enough with filibustering

Media | 05/07/2021 6:39 pm EDT

CRTC proposes code of conduct for ISPsAfter saying it would address concerns around freedom of expression and the regulation of social media user content in its overhaul of the Broadcasting Act known as Bill C-10,...

Libs support C-10 charter review, but after full revision of bill: Dabrusin

Media | 05/03/2021 6:29 pm EDT

Libs support C-10 charter review, but after full revision of bill: DabrusinThe Conservative party is “falsely accusing” the government of wanting...

Regulator needed to deal with tech-facilitated gender violence: report

Media | 04/30/2021 12:03 pm EDT

Social media threats challenge gov’t, platforms ahead of electionCanada should establish a centralized expert regulator for...

Experts question effectiveness of online harm regulator

Media | 03/31/2021 6:03 pm EDT

Experts question effectiveness of online harm regulatorPanelists reflecting Wednesday on Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s description of how a new regulator that could be formed through anti-online harm legislation that has yet to be tabled are critical of what one called an “opaque” process. During an interview...

Facebook’s Australian news blockade won’t deter us: Guilbeault

Media | 02/18/2021 4:50 pm EST

Gov’t to introduce web giant, CanCon, news legislation in fall: GuilbeaultThe day after Facebook Inc. made good on its threat to block all news from...

Bloc pushes for web giants to support Canadian media

Media | 02/17/2021 5:10 pm EST

The Bloc Québécois is pushing the federal government to take “urgent” action to support local media by imposing new taxes on web giants such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc.  In the House of Commons...

MPs highlight need for more regulation, enforcement of social media platforms in Canada 

Media | 02/11/2021 5:23 pm EST

In a Friends of Canadian Broadcasting panel on Thursday, MPs from the three major parties indicated support for additional regulations and enforcement to manage threats of...

Gov’t tables PIPEDA reform, new consumer privacy legislation

Media | 11/17/2020 5:54 pm EST

Gov’t tables PIPEDA reform, new consumer privacy legislationThe federal government introduced sweeping private-sector privacy law...

OPC failed to observe ‘bedrock rules of evidence’ in court: Facebook

Media | 10/27/2020 10:33 am EDT

International legislators flag regulatory options for data giantsFacebook Inc. is asking a judge to throw out significant chunks of an...

Back to Parliament: your (pandemic) preview

Media | 09/22/2020 12:43 pm EDT

TrudeuCabinetRetreat2020Given the precarious situation around the now-escalating COVID-19 pandemic, what will actually be...

Canadian law should codify privacy as a human right: OPC

Media | 12/10/2019 6:05 pm EST

Privacy commish vows more ‘proactive enforcement’OTTAWA — Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien told reporters...

AIQ investigation shows need for strong privacy laws, OPC says

Media | 11/26/2019 6:22 pm EST

OPC will ask court to force changes to Facebook privacy practicesAt a Vancouver press conference Tuesday, the federal and British Columbia...

Facebook to lobby feds on digital services tax after election promises

Media | 11/21/2019 5:34 pm EST

Facebook to lobby feds on digital services tax after election promisesFacebook Inc. has registered to lobby the federal government on “proposed digital services tax,” according to the lobbyist registry, just weeks after an election campaign...

Twitter lobbying on feds’ internet ad policy

Media | 11/18/2019 4:38 pm EST

Twitter Inc. has registered to lobby the federal government on its internet advertising policy, following the social media company’s ban on political ads on its platform globally. The registration, effective November 1, seeks...

Green Party platform: no anonymous social media, 5G rollout on hold

telecom | 09/16/2019 5:14 pm EDT

Green Party platform: no anonymous social media, 5G rollout on holdThe Green Party election platform includes promises to ensure only...

‘Deepfakes’ could trigger election security alert, gov’t officials say

Media | 07/09/2019 4:50 pm EDT

‘Deepfakes’ could trigger election security alert, gov’t officials sayArtificial intelligence technology allowing videos to be seamlessly...

Twitter bans pre-election political advertising

Media | 06/26/2019 6:20 pm EDT

Ending several months of uncertainty and speculations, Twitter Inc. has declared that it will join Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine in not selling any political advertisements in Canada in the...

International legislators flag regulatory options for data giants

Media | 05/29/2019 6:01 pm EDT

International legislators flag regulatory options for data giantsOTTAWA - Legislators on Tuesday gave some sense of what regulatory options may be coming down the road for big data and social media giants as lawmakers from Canada and some...

Gov’t needs interaction with tech specialists, conference hears

Media | 05/28/2019 4:43 pm EDT

OTTAWA — For the Canadian government to be more effective at legislating on issues including social media and internet of things (IoT) technology, it needs to communicate with technology specialists...

Tech giants agree to ‘voluntary’ set of principles: Gould

Media | 05/27/2019 5:45 pm EDT

Tech giants agree to ‘voluntary’ set of principles: GouldOTTAWA — Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have both signed on to a...

Experts say there is no road map for a Facebook-OPC court fight

Media | 05/01/2019 4:17 pm EDT

Experts say there is no road map for a Facebook-OPC court fightIf the Office of the Privacy Commissioner takes Facebook Inc. to Federal...

OPC will ask court to force changes to Facebook privacy practices

Media | 04/25/2019 5:47 pm EDT

OPC will ask court to force changes to Facebook privacy practicesOTTAWA — The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said Thursday it is...

Microsoft adds elections to lobbying file

telecom | 04/24/2019 6:29 pm EDT

The tech giant Microsoft Corp. last week added “elections” to its lobbying files. The move comes as the government rolls out a new regime governing the selling of political ads on tech platforms ahead of this fall’s...

Twitter registers social media education on lobby files

Media | 04/15/2019 4:05 pm EDT

Twitter Inc. has added a timely subject matter to its lobby files: educating federal officials on social media use during elections. The social media company updated its files last week to include...

Google won’t run political ads in 2019 election

Media | 03/05/2019 4:01 pm EST

Alphabet Inc.’s search giant Google plans to ban political advertising from its platforms during the next federal election campaign in Canada, following the introduction of tougher political advertising transparency rules by...

Facebook ‘not aware’ of Canadian applicants for data research program

Media | 03/01/2019 1:41 pm EST

Despite heightened interest in the impact of social media on Canadian elections, Facebook Inc. said it has not heard of any Canadian institutions that have applied to view the social media giant’s...

Gov’t trending toward requiring online platforms to remove content: Gould

Media | 02/27/2019 10:32 am EST

Despite paper ballot, election hacking vulnerabilities existOTTAWA -- Democratic institutions minister Karina Gould said the government is angling closer to mandating internet companies remove illegal content from their platforms....

Majority supports fining social media for not removing fake news: CIRA poll

Media | 02/19/2019 4:50 pm EST

A majority of Canadian internet users say the federal government should impose fines or other sanctions on social media companies that don’t remove fake news from their platforms, according to...

Don’t exclude online services from Broadcasting Act: Private radio

Media | 02/04/2019 12:00 pm EST

Don’t exclude online services from Broadcasting Act: Private radioCanada’s private radio broadcasters are fighting against a push to keep...

Ottawa taps team to warn of foreign digital interference in elections

Media | 01/30/2019 3:49 pm EST

Ottawa taps team to warn of foreign digital interference in electionsOTTAWA — The Liberal government has set up a new alert protocol and...

Be ‘wary’ of regulating online speech: Facebook

Media | 01/22/2019 5:57 pm EST

CRTC consulting on new radio stations in Northern OntarioWhile online misinformation needs to be taken seriously, that doesn’t...

CRTC tells wireless providers to offer message relay services

Media | 12/14/2018 3:27 pm EST

Wireless operators will have to begin offering message relay services (MRS) by June 2019, the CRTC said Friday. Message relay serves customers with a hearing or speech disability by allowing them to make calls via text with the help of an operator. It’s separate from video relay services.   “Given that many Canadians are disconnecting their home phones in favour of cellphones, the CRTC is directing mobile wireless service providers to offer IP relay services,” the regulator said in a press release. Friday’s decision follows a consultation it launched last year. The CRTC also...

Ethics committee calls for new social media rules

Media | 12/11/2018 7:27 pm EST

Ethics committee calls for new social media rulesOTTAWA — A House of Commons committee is unanimously calling for new rules for social media companies...

Election 2019 still ripe for opinion-shaping, CSE says

Media | 12/06/2018 3:46 pm EST

OTTAWA — Efforts to stanch online misinformation campaigns will not eliminate the very real situation that may see Canadians fall victim to attempts to influence their political opinions, the...

Ontario’s increasing social media advertising worries AG

Media | 12/05/2018 5:25 pm EST

Ontario’s increasing social media advertising worries AGOntario’s auditor general is raising concerns about a legal "loophole"...

Public Policy Forum to track online disinformation

Media | 11/29/2018 3:13 pm EST

Ottawa-based think tank the Public Policy Forum says it’s launching a new project to track, analyze and eventually find a way to counter "fake news." It’s digital democracy project will start by studying the effects of...

Political parties ‘bumbling rubes’ on data: CPC campaign chair

Media | 11/20/2018 4:58 pm EST

Political parties ‘bumbling rubes' on data: CPC campaign chairOTTAWA —  The head of the Conservative Party’s 2019 national election...

Ottawa paid $2K settlement after consulate shared copyrighted image

Media | 11/16/2018 5:11 pm EST

The federal government paid a $2,000 settlement to a Barrie, Ontario photographer, according to the 2018 public accounts, because bureaucrats shared a copyrighted image on a government Facebook page....

Facebook to cooperate with French regulators on pilot project

Media | 11/13/2018 4:26 pm EST

CRTC consulting on new radio stations in Northern OntarioThe French government will work with Facebook Inc. on a new initiative to...

Zuckerberg declines joint Canada-UK committee appearance

Media | 11/07/2018 1:50 pm EST

Facebook to hand over Russia ads to CongressFacebook Inc.’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has declined a joint-request by Canadian and UK members of Parliament to appear at an international committee to testify about ‘fake news’ and disinformation. MPs heading committees in both countries studying the fallout from the...

Most Canadians concerned with ‘fake news’ in next election: MTM

Media | 10/30/2018 5:55 pm EDT

Photo via Pxhere showing laptop with fake newsA year away from the next federal election, a majority of Canadians are...

Google Canada on the defense over Google+, Sidewalk Labs

Media | 10/23/2018 5:57 pm EDT

Google Canada on the defense over Google+, Sidewalk LabsColin McKay, head of public policy and government relations for Alphabet...

OPC inquiring about Google+ leak

Media | 10/10/2018 2:34 pm EDT

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) said it is gathering more information about whether the personal information of Canadians was implicated in a leak involving an Alphabet Inc. social network. “Google has contacted...

Facebook launches political campaign security pilot

Media | 09/18/2018 3:52 pm EDT

Facebook Inc. will introduce a pilot project aimed at securing election campaigns for the United States midterm elections this fall. The company said in a blog post that past elections have shown that candidates, politicians...

Facebook to fact-check photos, videos

Media | 09/17/2018 11:11 am EDT

Facebook to penalize false news disseminatorsFacebook Inc. is adding verification of photos and videos to its fact-checking of content on its social media platform. The company said in a blog post Thursday that includes Canada, where it launched a fact-checking effort being led by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news...

Facebook makes Watch video service available world-wide

Media | 08/30/2018 4:33 pm EDT

Facebook makes Watch video service available world-wideIn a blog post on Wednesday, Facebook Inc. announced the global launch of...

Social media threats challenge gov’t, platforms ahead of election

Media | 08/30/2018 3:12 pm EDT

Social media threats challenge gov’t, platforms ahead of electionIn the three years since the last Canadian federal election, emerging...

72% of anglophone Canadians on social media: MTM

Media | 08/10/2018 12:36 pm EDT

According to a recent report from the CBC/Radio-Canada Media Technology Monitor (MTM) project, 72 per cent of English-speaking Canadians have used a social networking service in the past month, with just over half of those using...

Twitter lobbying on online ads in wake of proposed elections bill

Media | 07/09/2018 1:17 pm EDT

Twitter lobbying on online ads in wake of proposed elections billTwitter Inc. wants to make sure the government understands how online...

Petition calls for empowered agency to compel deletion of false ads

telecom | 06/20/2018 6:10 pm EDT

Thousands of Canadians have signed  separate petitions created by Democracy Watch, with one calling for a strengthening of the elections law body that could compel media sites to remove false ads....

Canadians using multiple devices, but adoption leveling off: MTM

Media | 06/08/2018 6:29 pm EDT

According to the latest data from CBC/Radio-Canada’s Media Technology Monitoring (MTM) project, 35 per cent of English-speaking internet users in Canada continue to own four types of electronic...

Too many emergency alerts could lead to ignorance: telecom consultant

Media | 06/06/2018 12:14 pm EDT

Too many emergency alerts could lead to ignorance: telecom consultantTORONTO — An amber alert that resulted in three emergency texts sent to...

Corus set to launch short-form content series on Twitter

Media | 06/01/2018 4:59 pm EDT

Corus set to launch short-form content series on TwitterCorus Entertainment Inc. is partnering with Twitter Inc. to bring...

AggregateIQ denies whistleblower claims to ethics committee

telecom | 04/24/2018 5:39 pm EDT

AggregateIQ denies whistleblower claims to ethics committeeOTTAWA — The heads of West Coast-based software developer AggregateIQ Data Services Ltd. denied a number of allegations over its involvement with SCL Group Inc.’s Cambridge Analytica before a House of Commons ethics committee on Tuesday. AggregateIQ has been closely...