Brandon Laur

CEO of @whitehatterteam | M.A. Professional Comms | M.G.C. Medal of Good Citizenship | Speaker | Researcher | #celiac | D&D GM | He/Him

[The White Hatter @whitehatterteam]

We commend the federal Justice Minister for progress with Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act. However, granting any government agent warrantless search and seizure powers also needs review
https://t.co/PRLVcxJRvv

#BillC63 #OnlineHarms #PrivacyMatters #cdnpoli #DigitalLiteracy

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@mgeist @viraniarif Still not a fan of 91 (1) "Power to enter" for Inspectors

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Great view from top of Bear Mountain tonight #yyj #AuroraBoreal #Auroraborealis #SolarFlare

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Why are youth hesitant to trust online saftey reporting systems? Because it can take up to 2-3 months later with no assistance. Meanwhile, posting the issue on social media about safety and legal concerns can receive responses quickly.

This is an excerpt from a 2023 court case.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

The teens at high schools we work with find this law very captivating, given the challenges of intimate image sharing among students. They also find it very accessible to make CRT claims online without going to court.

[Niki Sharma @NikiSharma2]

Protecting people online is a priority for our government

The new legal process is protecting people.

A B.C. man was awarded $5,000 in first-of-its-kind intimate image case

Sharing someone’s intimate images without consent is wrong & could cost you

https://t.co/TQDrmdjDWa

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

This is why a school phone ban won’t stop youth from experiencing online harms. BYOD poses challenges for corporate network security due to loss of control, and the same applies to schools.

[Robert Benzie @robertbenzie]

From the front page of the ⁦⁦@TorontoStar⁩, ⁦@krushowy⁩ with exclusive news about Education Minister ⁦@Sflecce⁩’s plan to strictly limit the use of cellphones in schools. Ontario would have the toughest curbs in Canada.
#onpoli

https://t.co/G7McH9k40y

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@robertbenzie @krushowy @TorontoStar @Sflecce I've seen students use Google Docs to harass each other. Not sure how this would prevent that. While a policy of no phone use in class without teacher direction is great, justifying full bans can be more challenging.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@krushowy @TorontoStar A complete BYOD ban would be necessary to effectively control the proposed harms.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@krushowy @TorontoStar Curious to see the plan to prevent those same harms accessible from various devices like laptops, Chromebooks, and tablets.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@privacylawyer 100% can confirm!

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@CatherineJHogan @privacylawyer @CJAD800 What sets YouTube apart is its lack of messaging. However, the comment section can often become quite harmful. Then why is TikTok listed? Harmful DM’s are not the primary concern discussed. It's mostly about addiction, bad videos, and addiction.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@CatherineJHogan @privacylawyer @CJAD800 Perhaps it would be more effective to pursue individual lawsuits against each platform rather than making broad claims about social media as a whole and selectively targeting certain sites, considering that each platform serves different functions and may have varying impacts.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

@privacylawyer @CatherineJHogan @CJAD800 Curious about why YouTube hasn't been named in the lawsuit or, at the very least, reported on. According to Pew "Teens, Social Media, and Technology 2023" report, YouTube is not only more popular but also more compulsively used than some of the apps that have been mentioned.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Many things have the potential to harm while offering benefits to others. Nicotine and casino-type gambling offer limited universal benefits compared to their harms. Pharmaceutical drugs add complexity, while social media poses even greater challenges.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

While I wish the government and other organizations luck in proving measurable and predictable harms caused by social media in court, I do believe that the general arguments lack some substance. There seem to be quite a few plot holes in the arguments presented.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

While I wish the government and other organizations luck in proving measurable and predictable harms caused by social media in court, I do believe that the general arguments lack some substance. There seem to be quite a few plot holes in the arguments presented.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Moreover, it seems that only casino-type gambling is rigorously regulated for potential harms. Items like Pokémon card packs, video game loot boxes, and Kinder Surprise products with a surprise mechanic don't appear to raise significant concerns.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Comparing harms in gambling and social media is complex, but I'm open to more evidence. In gambling, few benefit while all others lose. Yet, with social media, the balance of benefits versus harms varies.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

This is why comparing the harms of social media to pharmaceutical and nicotine companies diverges. While the chemical harms are more predictable, assessing the mental wellness aspect is more complex.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

I would suggest that it's best to compare the harms of social media to those of gambling and the regulations surrounding it. In my opinion, this comparison provides the closest parallel and serves as a relevant example.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Arguing that social media is harmful solely because it's addictive or promotes compulsive behaviours isn't compelling enough. Attempting to rationalize a the universal harm is needed but challenging.

[Brandon Laur @WhiteHatBrandon]

Suing social media for "addiction" appears to lack coherence. Seemingly addictive items (caffeine & sugar), are considered normative until evidence of harm arises. It's crucial to outline specific harms rather than merely focusing on the notion of addiction.