Why the U.S. Government Isn't Really Relinquishing its Power over Internet Governance
Earlier this month, the U.S. government surprised the Internet community by announcing that it plans to back away from its longstanding oversight of the Internet domain name system.
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The Web We Want: Could Canada Lead on a Digital Bill of Rights?
Last week marked the 25th anniversary of the drafting of Tim Berners-Lee's proposal to combine hypertext with the Internet that would later become the World Wide Web. Berners-Lee used the occasion to call for the creation of a global online "Magna Carta" to protect the rights of Internet users around the world.
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If U.S. Cloud Computing Isn't Good Enough for the Canadian Government, Why Should It Be for You?
In August 2011, the federal government announced plans to consolidate more than 100 different email systems used by over 300,000 employees into a single, outsourced email system. While the email transition is currently underway - Bell won the nearly $400 million contract last year - the decision quietly sparked a trade fight with the United States that placed the spotlight on the risks associated with hosting computer data outside the country.
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The Future of Television Consultation Omits the Big Question: Do We Still Need the CRTC?
The regulation of Internet video services and the prospect of pick-and-pay television channels headline the second phase of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's future of television consultation which launched late last month. The "TalkTV" initiative is designed to make it easy for Canadians to participate, featuring six short scenarios followed by a limited number of choices for respondents.
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Canadian Media Production and Music Groups Calls for New Rules for Netflix, Google
Thu, 2014-02-20 09:40 — Michael Geist
Canadians love Internet success stories such as Netflix and Google as recent data indicates that millions now subscribe to the online video service and Google is the undisputed leader in search and online advertising. The changing marketplace may be a boon to consumers, but it also breeds calls for increased Internet regulation.
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Competition Bureau Raises Concerns Over Canadian Wireless Market
The longstanding debate over the state of wireless services in Canada has veered across many issues - pricing, roaming fees, locked devices, new entrants, and foreign investment to name a few.
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Why Canada's Telecom Companies Should Come Clean About Customer Information
Last week I joined leading civil liberties groups and academics in a public letter sent to Canada's leading telecom companies asking them to shed new light into their data retention and sharing policies. The letter writing initiative, which was led by Christopher Parsons of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, is the latest attempt to address the lack of transparency regarding how and when Canadians' personal information may be disclosed without their knowledge to law enforcement or intelligence agencies.
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Canadian Regulators Place Google's Business Model Under Microscope
Among the many Internet success stories of the past two decades, Google stands alone. The undisputed king of search, hundreds of millions rely on it daily, supporting an Internet advertising business model that generates tens of billions of dollars annually.
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ISPs Push For Two-Tier Internet Based on Data Caps
Net neutrality has been one of the defining Internet policy issues of the past decade. Starting with early concerns that large telecom and Internet providers would seek to generate increased profits by creating a two-tier Internet with a fast lane (for companies that paid additional fees to deliver their online content quicker) and a slow lane (for everyone else), the issue captured the attention of governments and telecom regulators.
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Why CSEC and CSIS Should the Subject of an Independent Investigation
Months of surveillance-related leaks from U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden have fuelled an international debate over privacy, spying, and Internet surveillance. The Canadian-related leaks - including disclosures regarding spying on the Brazilian government and the facilitation of spying at the G8 and G20 meetings hosted in Toronto in 2010 - have certainly inspired some domestic discussion. Ironically, the most important surveillance development did not involve Snowden at all.
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