SocraticGadfly: Thoughts on Canada's new social media law

May 09, 2023

Thoughts on Canada's new social media law

Based on this Toronto Star piece, my three basic thoughts, and one add-on, are:

  1. It's not censorship, though the Trudeau government's refusal to accept one Canadian Senate amendment wasn't totally good;
  2. In terms of US cultural imperialism, protecting Canadian online content producers was probably needed in some way, and, expect other "Western" nations that don't already have such provisions to study this;
  3. To the degree that Canada's media laws, mainly pre-Internet, had not adapted to the post-2000 social media world (like Section 230 here in the US), those provisions were certainly needed;
  4. To the degree that rule making even in a country the size of Canada, let alone the US, "has to" be left to regulatory agencies, on the details, rather than Congress or Parliament, I hope the right balance was struck.

Otherwise, today's Canadian Conservatives are calling it censorship largely in the wake of their own FreeDumb Convoy and other issues where Prairie Provinces Conservatives are becoming ever more Trump-like. In addition, some political science newsletter author on Twitter, a Canadian, claiming that the NDP "works for" Trudeau, is an obvious liar.

As for American-related thought, beyond how Canadian Conservatives of today are imitating Trumpist Rethuglicans? The bill also shows guidelines on how to reform Section 230. And yes, contra hardcore libertarians and "more credulous precincts of the left" leftists (or pseudoleftists) it needs reforming.

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