Canada Letter: Canada Joins the World in a Social Media Crackdown

The Times’s recent Canada-related coverage with back stories and analysis from our reporters along with opinions from our readers. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Saturday, April 13, 2019 [NYTimes.com/Canada »]( [Canada Joins the World in a Social Media Crackdown]( By IAN AUSTEN Unlike the last American presidential election, there was no obvious cybermeddling when Canadians voted in 2015 (nor, for that matter, are there signs of it in Alberta, where I’m writing this week’s newsletter as residents get ready to vote on Tuesday). This week, however, Canada’s digital security and spy agency reiterated its warning that the country [won’t be immune from foreign online interference]( in the federal election this October. [Google’s Canadian engineering headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario.

] Google’s Canadian engineering headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario. Peter Power/Reuters [Want the Canada Letter in your inbox every week? [Sign up here]( Canada’s federal government has been on to this for some time. It [recently passed a law]( regulating foreign election interference through the social media giants Facebook, YouTube (which is owned by Google) and Twitter. But when Karina Gould, the minister for democratic institutions, released the Communications Security Establishment’s report this week, she said she was frustrated by an apparent lack of willingness by those companies to take the issue seriously. “I’m not feeling great about where we are right now,” Ms. Gould said. [Read: [Canada, Rebuking Tech Giants, Braces for Possible Election Interference]( For a government that has otherwise courted those companies to set up engineering centers, particularly around A.I., it was an extraordinary rebuke. And Ms. Gould doubled down. Given that lack of cooperation, Ms. Gould said that the government is scouring its existing laws to see what it can use to force compliance, and that it is looking around the world for examples of additional laws and regulations to introduce. [Greta Bossenmaier, left, the head of Canada’s Communications Security Establishment, speaking at a news conference with Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould.] Greta Bossenmaier, left, the head of Canada’s Communications Security Establishment, speaking at a news conference with Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould. Chris Wattie/Reuters Here’s a quick guide as to how other governments are regulating social media or steps they are proposing: • With a sweeping data privacy bill that went into effect almost a year ago, the European Union is widely seen as the world’s leader in regulating social media. It’s also encouraging other countries to match its measures, recently signing a data agreement with Japan. Adam Satariano wrote [this definitive overview]( of how the regulations work. Using the law, regulators in France [fined Google 50 million euros]( this year, in part for not making it clear how it uses people’s data to sell advertising. • After the horrific shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Australian government rushed through a bill that would jail executives of social media and impose staggering fines if they fail to quickly remove “abhorrent violent material.” But my colleague Damien Cave, who also writes [the Australia Letter]( reported that Australia’s haste, with [little in the way of consultations about the law]( may leave it vulnerable to legal challenges. In light of Australia’s actions, Damien also wrote a [superb global overview]( on dealing with tech monoliths. • On the same day that Ms. Gould spoke in Canada, a parliamentary committee in Britain released proposals for [reining in social media companies]( something that embattled Prime Minister Theresa May has said is a key priority. • Singapore unveiled draft legislation this month to [stop the spread of false information](. Critics fear it may be used to stifle opponents of the government. • In India, the government has proposed giving itself sweeping powers to remove internet content. Vindu Goel, one of my colleagues based there, found that many people are drawing [comparisons with China’s internet censorship.]( [Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, has called for regulation of social media companies.] Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, has called for regulation of social media companies. Josh Edelson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Last year Germany started [a crackdown on digital hate speech]( that was informed by its history, and that goes beyond even the European Union’s strict measures. It [further tightened restrictions]( on data gathering by Facebook in February. • And after long being a laggard on internet privacy and regulation, the United States [is now taking interest](. Last month Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, [said that it was time]( to regulate his company. And make sure you read [this provocative column]( published in Opinion this week by the longtime tech writer and, more recently, Times columnist Kara Swisher. “Let me be clear — I love technology, including my deeply felt relationship with that iPhone that spans decades now,” she wrote. “But it has never been more urgent to put up some guardrails. While I do not consider the behemoth tech companies monsters, they can and do act monstrously.” ___ This week’s Trans Canada and Around The Times highlights were compiled by Lindsey Wiebe, the Canada audience growth editor. Advertisement Trans Canada [Canada, Rebuking Tech Giants, Braces for Possible Election Interference]( It’s “very likely that Canadian voters will encounter some form of foreign cyber interference” in the election this October, according to a report by Canada’s electronic eavesdropping and security agency. [Facebook Bars Faith Goldy and Other Far-Right Figures in Canada]( Facebook has banned several far-right groups and figures in Canada, including Faith Goldy, who ran for mayor of Toronto last year. [Military Drills in Arctic Aim to Counter Russia, but the First Mission Is to Battle the Cold]( It’s an inescapable fact of life in Resolute Bay, Nunavut: In spite of the frigid temperatures, the ice is melting. And that means the Russians are coming. [Radiohead Calls for Safety Measures as Inquest Into Stage Death Concludes]( A Toronto jury has proposed new safety recommendations seven years after a stage roof collapsed at a Radiohead concert and killed a technician. [Joan Jones, 79, Force Against Racism in Nova Scotia, Dies]( Racism was entrenched in Nova Scotia when Joan Jones, who died this month at 79, moved there in the 1960s. She knew she had to change that. Around The Times [Winning the War on Poverty]( Canada has reached its lowest poverty rate in history, David Brooks writes in the Opinion section. What’s its secret? [Costs for Boeing Start to Pile Up as 737 Max Remains Grounded]( Boeing and the airlines that rely on its planes have been scrambling to adjust since the 737 Max was grounded. And with no timeline for the return of the Max, costs are mounting. [A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy]( A man infected with the newly discovered Candida auris fungus died after being hospitalized for 90 days. But the germ did not — and proved so invasive the hospital had to rip out parts of the floor and ceiling to eradicate it. [A Deceptively Simple Way to Find More Happiness at Work]( There are small ways to improve any job, and those incremental improvements can add up to major increases in job satisfaction. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’re eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to [nytcanada@nytimes.com](mailto:nytcanada@nytimes.com? subject=Canada%20Letter%20Newsletter%20Feedback). LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. NEED HELP? Review our [newsletter help page]( or [contact us]( for assistance. 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