Canadian Commission

Purpose The protection of freedom of expression is premised upon fundamental principles and values – the value of the search for and attainment of truth, participation in social and political decision-making and the opportunity for individual self-fulfillment through expression: Irwin Toy Ltd. [...] As we close in on the end of a second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seams are splitting and the threats to communities and to livelihoods have moved from internet chat rooms to the ICU. [...] Promoting user empowerment, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) entitles Europeans to eight user rights: the right to information; the right of access; the right to rectification; the right to erasure; the right to restriction of processing; the right to data portability; the right to object; and the right to avoid automated decision making. [...] In November 2020, the federal government introduced two pieces of legislation addressing aspects of the activities of platforms and their impact on democratic expression: Bill C-10 – An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts, and Bill C-11 – An Act to enact the Consumer Privacy Protection Act and the Personal Information and Data Protection. [...] Further, require that the parameters and categories used to target users be disclosed, including: the entity that paid for the advertisement; the advertising budget and overall amount spent; the intended and actual reach of the advertisement; information around personalization/micro- targeting and what voluntary codes of conduct advertiser endorses and follows.