The federal government's bill on Monday to protect Canadians from harmful online content would create a new regulator, CBC News reported Sunday.
This new regulator will operate independently of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and hold platforms accountable for the dangerous content they host.
Two sources within the government confirmed to CBC News the creation of the office, which will be tasked with reducing online harms and subjecting platforms to federal law.
It is currently unknown whether the regulator will have authority only over websites hosted in Canada or over all websites to which Canadians have access.
The government also plans to create a new ombudsman position to respond to the concerns of members of the Canadian population who encounter harmful content online.
Inspired by Europeans
Certain components of this draft law are based on the European regulation on digital services. This law, created by the European Commission, regulates intermediaries and online platforms that enable the sharing of content and the sale, purchase or download of applications. Social networks as well as travel and accommodation platforms are also subject to this regulation.
Michael Geist, researcher in the Department of Internet Law and full professor at the University of Ottawa, believes that there is indeed a need to neutralize harmful content on the Internet. However, in his opinion, the devil will be in the details of this new law.
The government has already entrusted the CRTR with several matters that were beyond the expertise of that regulator, he said. However, it is difficult to judge the new governance structure before seeing it.
Gabrielle Proulx's report
The federal law focuses on protecting children and young people from the dangers of the Internet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this week.
We must do a better job as a society of protecting our young people online, just as we protect them in schoolyards, in our communities and at homes across the country.
Privacy concerns
This law must be an alternative solution to Bill S-210, which restricts young people's online access to sexually explicit material and was introduced by Independent Senator Julie Miville-Dechâne. This bill would require the age of Canadians who wish to view pornography online to be verified through an age verification system. Identity.
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Independent Senator Julie Miville-Dechâne (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Jacques Corriveau
A House of Commons committee is set to consider bill S-210, but Pornhub's owners have already said they will consider blocking Canadians from their site if the measures are passed. User age verification has been accepted.
Mr. Trudeau noted that the Liberal government is opposed to this type of identification system.
When age verification laws were passed in Utah, USA last summer, Porhub blocked access to them and demand for virtual private networks (VPN) had taken a quantum leap. The same phenomenon was observed in the state of Montana. VPNs allow users to hide their location online.
In Canada, the possibility of establishing an age verification system has privacy experts concerned because of the risks associated with sharing personal information with outside sources.
Ahead of the 2021 federal election, Justin Trudeau proposed a bill to combat online hate. After his re-election, he promised to submit a new bill on the issue in the first 100 days of his term.
Based on text by CBC's Naama Weingarten and Travis Dhanraj