One of the world’s largest tech trade groups says the online streaming bill by the federal government will place a “regulatory hand” on how consumers choose content, and must be rewritten.
Any attempts to regulate the internet should stay as far as possible from trying to manage what people have to say, for at best, it leads to a quagmire of legal wrangling; at worst, it leads to suppression of free speech by the government, say former leaders of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
A Look at the Liberal Government’s Different Internet Content Control Measures
The Liberal government’s Bill C-10, which has been criticized by the opposition and advocates for its potential to limit free speech, is part of a number of measures and directives issued by the federal government for internet and speech control.
These measures include introducing new regulations for online content, a legal framework to address “online hate,” as well as a struck-down section of Canada’s elections law to combat “fake news” during elections.
In his mandate letters to a number of ministers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listed “online hate and harassment” together with “ideologically motivated violent extremism and terrorist organizations” in the same sentence requesting the ministers’ action, signalling the importance of combatting online hate.