The Liberal government has recently ushered in two new laws that bring new oversight to digital giants. Some claim that this is an attempt by Canada to censor what people see online. This is false. In Canada, the Online Streaming Act and Online News Act were passed to help promote ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø content, and to force digital giants such as Meta and Google to pay publishers for linking to, or previewing, their work.
claim the bills are about by a corrupt government, with posts suggesting the regulations will define ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø content based on the creator's political views, and are "designed to remove millions of people's voices."
Another person the Online Streaming Act, formerly known as C-11, will control people and it was passed without debate.
Rating: False
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who sponsored the bills C-11 and C-18, said to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø that there's been a lot of disinformation and misinformation surrounding the laws.
Both were passed this year, but are now subject to a regulatory process before they come into affect.
In Canada, this is done with input from the public. And unlike legislation, , but by persons or bodies that were granted authority.
Both bills will be regulated by the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, an arm's-length administrative branch, not the government as some have claimed.
The CRTC is currently on the Online Streaming Act.
Key aspects of the regulation have yet to be defined, including the criteria streaming services would use to determine what is considered ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø content. Public consultations on such definitions are currently set for winter 2023-2024.
The CRTC has created a "" page to try to address some of the claims about the Online Streaming Act, including assurances that only broadcasters, and not content creators, will be regulated, and that content will not be suppressed.
The fact page also states that the CRTC "cannot order online streaming services to use specific algorithms to promote ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Indigenous content." During the consultation process later this year, the regulatory body plans to develop different methods to make ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Indigenous content easier to find, and encourages digital media giants to come up with their own ideas.
Lengthy debate
Despite people claiming debate was stifled on the Online Streaming Act, say it's one of the in the history of Senate, and the bill took years to pass through its stages.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø senators have also spoken out against the misinformation surrounding the bill.
"All the debate about this bill has been completely polluted and very well-organized by bot campaigns," said Sen. Paula Simons, a member of the Independent Senators Group, in an interview with ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. She said she used to get hundreds of emails weekly from automated campaigns that spread false information about the bill.
"People are being sold that this is a censorship bill, or that it's like 1984. It's like Stalin. It's like Hitler. It's like the Chinese government. It's all silly," she said.
Sen. Marc Gold, the Liberal government's representative in the Senate, also told the Senate the legislation "will not interfere with or stifle the expression of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø voices."
What the bills actually do
The updates Canada's Broadcasting Act for the first time since 1991.
It forces platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and TikTok to contribute to and promote ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø content — a requirement traditional broadcasters already follow.
instructs the CRTC to leave out social media users, including local businesses, who upload content online, even if they use commercial songs.
The Heritage Department said it wants input from digital platforms on how they can promote ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø content, but they say it could come in a variety of ways — from billboards promoting artists to designating sections of their sites to local music and stories.
The government's draft policy states that the solution should in order to comply with the law.
As for the Online News Act
formerly known as C-18 passed last week and requires Meta and Google's parent company, Alphabet, to enter into agreements with news publishers to pay them for news content that appears on their sites if it helps them generate money.
The act aims to create new government oversight for digital giants who dominate the online advertising market.
As a response, and said they will remove news from their platforms before the law comes into force by the end of the year. Meta has the same in other countries who have passed, or are working on, similar laws.
While they will remove links to news from their sites, it is not considered censorship because that news can still be easily and readily found elsewhere in Canada. For example, journalism that will be removed from Google, Facebook and Instagram will still appear in newspapers, on TV, the internet and other social media sites.
Meta and Google say it's a business decision.
Sources
Claims that Bill C-11 and C-18 are about censorship can be found (, ), () and (, )
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CRTC holding ()
CRTC page on ()
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'Done and dusted': Liberals' controversial online streaming bill back before Senate – ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ()
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in the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Gazette ()
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Heritage regarding policy for C-11 ()
Government policy tells CRTC to exclude social media users from online streaming bill – ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ()
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Meta in Canada ()
Google in Canada ()
Meta to block the news ()
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