A federally-funded advocacy group is petitioning Canadian senators to implement a national “disinformation reporting system.”.The submission to the Senate human rights committee follows cabinet proposals to censor legal internet content..“There is no reporting system nationwide nor is there a consolidated and up to date database of misinformation and online harms for scholars, policy makers or community leaders to access,” said the submission by the Vancouver group Foundation For A Path Forward..“An online hate, harm and disinformation reporting system for national use and resource database is urgently needed in Canada.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, the Foundation received $86,422 in federal grants this year. It earlier sponsored a forum “supporting legislation to combat online hate.”.“The Canadian government recognizes the threat and understands a strong democracy relies on Canadians having access to diverse and reliable sources on news and information,” said the Foundation submission The Everywhere Threat. It claimed Canada needs standards for accurate information..“Media play a powerful role in influencing the public perceptions,” Tariq Tyab, co-founder of the foundation, earlier testified at a September 7 hearing of the Senate human rights committee. Tyab did not elaborate..Hate speech was banned under the Criminal Code since 1970. Cabinet on June 23, 2021 introduced Bill C-36 An Act To Amend The Criminal Code that proposed $70,000 fines on individual internet users who post legal content “likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group.” The bill lapsed in the last Parliament..Cabinet went further in a July 29, 2021 Technical Paper and Discussion Paper that proposed to appoint a chief censor, called the Digital Safety Commissioner, with powers to take anonymous complaints on hurtful Facebook posts, conduct closed-door hearings, and block websites..“I assure you the Heritage minister and others within our government are leaning in on this and will bring forward the legislation as quickly as possible,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters last August 29. No new bill has been introduced to date..A cabinet-appointed Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety in minutes of meetings held from last April 9 to June 3 said regulation should include political dissent..“A range of harmful content was said to be important to scope in including fraud, cyberbullying, mass sharing of traumatic incidents, defamatory content, propaganda, false advertising and misleading political communications,” said meeting minutes..It added that Canadians’ ability to have conversations about basic policy disagreements has been "severely impacted and complicated by the phenomenon of disinformation.”
A federally-funded advocacy group is petitioning Canadian senators to implement a national “disinformation reporting system.”.The submission to the Senate human rights committee follows cabinet proposals to censor legal internet content..“There is no reporting system nationwide nor is there a consolidated and up to date database of misinformation and online harms for scholars, policy makers or community leaders to access,” said the submission by the Vancouver group Foundation For A Path Forward..“An online hate, harm and disinformation reporting system for national use and resource database is urgently needed in Canada.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, the Foundation received $86,422 in federal grants this year. It earlier sponsored a forum “supporting legislation to combat online hate.”.“The Canadian government recognizes the threat and understands a strong democracy relies on Canadians having access to diverse and reliable sources on news and information,” said the Foundation submission The Everywhere Threat. It claimed Canada needs standards for accurate information..“Media play a powerful role in influencing the public perceptions,” Tariq Tyab, co-founder of the foundation, earlier testified at a September 7 hearing of the Senate human rights committee. Tyab did not elaborate..Hate speech was banned under the Criminal Code since 1970. Cabinet on June 23, 2021 introduced Bill C-36 An Act To Amend The Criminal Code that proposed $70,000 fines on individual internet users who post legal content “likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group.” The bill lapsed in the last Parliament..Cabinet went further in a July 29, 2021 Technical Paper and Discussion Paper that proposed to appoint a chief censor, called the Digital Safety Commissioner, with powers to take anonymous complaints on hurtful Facebook posts, conduct closed-door hearings, and block websites..“I assure you the Heritage minister and others within our government are leaning in on this and will bring forward the legislation as quickly as possible,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters last August 29. No new bill has been introduced to date..A cabinet-appointed Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety in minutes of meetings held from last April 9 to June 3 said regulation should include political dissent..“A range of harmful content was said to be important to scope in including fraud, cyberbullying, mass sharing of traumatic incidents, defamatory content, propaganda, false advertising and misleading political communications,” said meeting minutes..It added that Canadians’ ability to have conversations about basic policy disagreements has been "severely impacted and complicated by the phenomenon of disinformation.”
