MPs highlight need for more regulation, enforcement of social media platforms in Canada

In a Friends of Canadian Broadcasting panel on Thursday, MPs from the three major parties indicated support for additional regulations and enforcement to manage threats of violence stemming from social media platforms. At the event, focused on protecting democracy in Canada, NDP MP Charlie Angus said that companies like Facebook Inc. have been cut too much slack, considering that numerous instances of political violence have stemmed from its platform in some capacity. “We asked about the mass killings in Myanmar, were identified by the United Nations as being complicit in mass killings and they were like, ‘well we’re on a journey, nobody’s perfect.’” Under the USMCA trade agreement, a “safe harbour” rule protects social media companies from liability for potentially harmful content on their platforms. According to Angus, Canada needs to be more strict in the way it applies the safe harbour rule, when it comes to the incitement of violence. “We have to start saying that the safe harbor provisions will not protect when it comes to issues of violence...for example, the Christchurch mosque shooting. If a newspaper had posted these kinds of manifestos, they’d be charged. And yet Facebook does it and says ‘oh, sorry, we’re going to learn a lesson from it.’” Other politicians at the event put forward different approaches. Liberal MP and justice committee member Iqra Khalid suggested that a number of laws are already in place that could be used to regulate social media companies with more enforcement, but also said that she would support resurrecting Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which was repealed in 2013 under the Harper government. “I personally would like to see this be reinstated in whatever form to make sure there is a remedy for an individual who is harmed by the hatred that they receive.” Meanwhile, Conservative MP Bob Zimmer raised the idea of regulating social media networks’ algorithms, to prevent them from making money off potentially violent speech. “One simple thing is algorithmic accountability. What are the algorithms doing? Are they stirring up dissent? Well yes, they are, we know they are. So why does that keep happening? Because it makes them money. There’s ways to monetize these platforms I think that don’t need to amp up those problematic areas.” Last month, Facebook and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner squared off in court over what the privacy watchdog says are violations of Canadian privacy law.

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MPs highlight need for more regulation, enforcement of social media platforms in Canada

Brief | February 11, 2021

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