The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy

With Chris Alexander, I wrote about the growing case for funding the CBC/Radio-Canada for reasons that have nothing to do with programming: the rise of misinformation/disinformation, natural disasters and the climate crisis, and other threats to public safety. https://lnkd.in/gYDrrWT7

How can Canada protect its sovereignty, amid the recent threats that have been made to undermine it? According to Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who recently released her final report on foreign interference, the greatest threat to our democracy right now is disinformation. And the current design of our social media platforms incentivizes its spread, Taylor Owen explains. Another major vulnerability of our current information ecosystem, which he outlines in this video, is how much influence the U.S. has over it. And with the unprecedented alignment between the U.S. government and Big Tech, the key to securing our nation's sovereignty may need to start with governing our digital space, before it's too late. https://bit.ly/FI-disinfo

Our director Taylor Owen shares his takeaways from his time at the Paris #AIActionSummit this past week. He describes it as a "somewhat surreal glimpse of the repositioning of the AI industry." "It was pretty clear that in Paris, conversations about [AI] risk and safety were replaced by ones about how to best to lure investment."

Have you ever heard of "mercenary spyware?" This invasive technology has the ability to infiltrate your phone, see your texts, track your movement and download all your passwords — all without you realizing you've been hacked. As Ronald Deibert explains on this week's episode of the #MachinesLikeUs podcast, some spyware is so powerful that it can feel "like a ghost is peering over your shoulder and has intruded on your life." Since founding The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto more than 20 years ago, Ronald has helped expose some of the most high profile cases of cyber espionage around the world. He has a new book out this month called "Chasing Shadows: Cyber Espionage, Subversion, and the Global Fight for Democracy," in which he reveals how he and his team "lifted the lid on dozens of covert operations targeting innocent citizens everywhere." In his interview with Taylor Owen, Ronald explains how spyware works and what it means for our privacy — as well as our democracy. You can listen to it here: https://tgam.ca/Deibert

ICYMI: Our director Taylor Owen explains the new approach Canada needs to take to protect our youth online. He addresses the shortcomings and strengths of Bill C-63, the #OnlineHarms Act; and outlines a clear path forward that goes beyond social media regulation to making digital spaces safer for the next generation in the era of AI.

We have a new report out this week — it's called "Climate Obstruction: The State & Spread of Climate Disinformation in Canada," and it reveals the growing resistance to climate change action and policy due to common climate delay narratives that are influencing Canadians. If you haven't yet heard of the term "climate delay," it refers to narratives that acknowledge the existence of climate change, but that downplay its urgency and sow doubt in viable solutions. "Our findings show just how pervasive and convincing these tactics have become in Canada," says our deputy director Sonja Solomun, who's the principal investigator of this study. We found climate disinformation has become widely accepted in Canada, as major social media platforms continue to allow the spread of false climate content, with little transparency or accountability. "To address the climate crisis, we have to address our information ecosystem," Solomun explains. "That means treating climate disinformation as a structural problem that needs regulatory solutions." As governments and policymakers grapple with online harms legislation, the report's findings make it clear that climate disinformation must be part of the conversation. You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gV6sip-d A big thank you to everyone who worked on this report: Helen Hayes, our research lead; researchers Esli C., Nikhil Gowd, Nina Hernández Jayme, Sequoia Kim, Julia Bugiel and Hannah Tollefson; our survey lead Isadora Borges Monroy; and our survey analyst Chris Ross. Special thanks, as well, to Brian Morgan and Isabelle Corriveau. #climatechange #climatedelay #climatedisinformation #onlineharms

Our deputy director Sonja Solomun will be part of a Climate Mis/Disinformation free virtual workshop happening this Friday from 3-4:30pm ET. And you're invited to join the conversation, which is being hosted by the University of Ottawa Information Integrity Lab. She'll be discussing "Practical Solutions and Policy Responses for Informed Climate Action," alongside Heidi Tworek, Anatoliy Gruzd, and Michael Khoo. You can register for the session here: https://lnkd.in/eFwMUtfp #ClimateAction #Misinformation #Disinformation

The failure of Canada's Online Harms Act in 2024 left a crucial gap in our digital safety framework – one that becomes more concerning as AI chatbots enter our daily lives. In this video I examine how we can revive the core of the model with a sharper focus on protecting children and governing AI-based harms. The original Act (C-63) had a simple core: digital platforms must prove their products are safe. This meant risk assessments, transparency mechanisms, and greater user controls. All perfectly sensible principles that we shouldn't abandon. Not only have we failed to make social media safer, but a new generation of tech (AI chatbots) are entering our lives just as tech companies are dismantling even their limited existing safeguards. It is immensely frustrating that the Online Harms Act failed. But the years of work that went into it are not lost. The core of the model is sound, based on international best practices, and offers a starting point for the next government (of any stripe) that will need to address the harms that are only getting worse.

This week on #MachinesLikeUs, Taylor Owen talks to Derek Ruths, a computer scientist at McGill University. He answers all your questions about AI, including: what is AGI (artificial general intelligence)? Listen to the full episode here: https://tgam.ca/AI-Qs And if you still have any other burning questions about AI, feel free to ask Derek in the comments below!

The Globe and Mail's health columnist Andre Picard explains why he believes legislation is "essential" to protecting kids online "from predators, from false information, from things that are very disturbing." He shared his thoughts with us this fall, during a conference our Centre hosted dedicated to addressing one of the most urgent issues of our time: how can we create a safer online future for young people? Canada's Bill C-63, known as the Online Harms Act, aimed to tackle this issue. With this month's prorogation of Parliament, though, this proposed legislation essentially died on the order paper. While it’s disappointing to see something so needed get stopped in its tracks, especially after the years of consultations that went into it, this is also an opportunity to reset and reflect on the important work that lies ahead. 📣 What do you think is needed to protect kids today from the possible dangers they may face in this age of social media and AI?