News
Canada’s fake news laws face a Charter challenge. That’s a good thing
Recently, the Canadian Constitution Foundation announced that it was launching a Charter challenge against new rules which criminalize the distribution of “fake news” during an election campaign. While most Canadians would probably agree about the importance of promoting honesty and integrity in communications, the new law goes far beyond targeting organized disinformation campaigns. Rather, the criminal provisions apply to any communication made with an intent to impact an election, a standard that would include just about all political commentary, from a documentary series to a single tweet
What is the purpose of ICANN’s comment periods?
Almost every institution which purports to provide space for public accountability includes some sort of formalized process by which the public can have their say. And in almost every instance, they struggle with a tension between the desire to provide a commenting process which is meaningful and substantive (or, at least, which appears to be so), and a desire to adopt whatever course of action the institution thinks is best.
Right to Know Day, or Groundhog Day?
On Thursday September 26, to commemorate International Right to Know Day, Nova Scotia’s Information and Privacy Commissioner held a panel event: “Democracy In Action: The Future of Your Right to Know”. As one of the panelists, I found the phrasing ironic, given the way inaction has become a byword for Nova Scotia’s record on this core democratic issue.