Canada: Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister has introduced a draft bill that would force tech platforms to remove ‘harmful’ online content, like child sexual abuse and hate speech.
Canada’s Liberal government released the Online Harms Act, which would require tech companies to deal with seven categories of harmful content, including spreading hate online and increasing criminal penalties. The law-making will give Canadians the right to file complaints against hate speech and request the removal of content within 24 hours, subject to review by the Human Rights Tribunal.
The bill defines seven categories of harm, which include intimate content that is communicated without consent, hateful content, content that incites violent extremism or terrorism, content that incites violence, content that is used to threaten a child, and content that encourages a child to self-harm. The proposed legislation would appoint a digital safety commission to enforce standards, including features to protect children such as parental controls and safe search settings.
Trudeau suggested that the legislation aims to hold tech companies accountable for the harmful content they host, making online spaces safer. “For too long, web giants have failed to keep kids safe online. Far too often, this has had devastating consequences,” Trudeau said.
The government stated that, “It respected Canadians’ freedom of expression but everyone should be able to access an online environment where they can express themselves freely, without fearing for their safety or their life. There was also an urgent need for better safeguards for social media users, particularly children.”
The offered bill will undergo parliamentary committee scrutiny and potential revisions in the Senate before being passed into law. However, the conservative population strongly opposed the government’s proposals. Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party who accused Trudeau of being “woke” and “authoritarian”, recently expressed concern that the government’s plans would violate Canadians’ freedom of expression.
“What does Justin Trudeau mean when he say, the word hate speech? He means speech he hates,” Poilievre stated. Canada has proposed legislation similar to the online safety acts in other Western countries, including the United Kingdom, the European Union, and some US states.
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