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Finding bits and pieces of the proverbial puzzle and fitting them into the square holes. No blog because I'm not everyone and no dog. Should I get a dog?

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

If the government believed that privacy was an urgent issue, it wouldn’t delay the privacy protections and rights in Bill C-36 until 2030 at the earliest. My post on why the bill takes one step forward and two steps back.
https://t.co/i5cgP2ldkO
https://t.co/Y4BPtbgGdQ

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

Well past midnight and the votes continue on Bill C-22 amendments. Just amendment numbers with no discussion, no debate, and no way for the public to even know what is being voted on.

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

With Minister @gary_srp invoking "you're with us or with the criminals" language as the government seeks to shut down debate on Bill C-22, he would do well to remember how Liberal MPs reacted to that approach years ago on a different lawful access bill.
https://t.co/ZkewWmk38M

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

🚨The government is moving to shut down lawful access hearings and consideration of amendments on mandatory metadata retention, security backdoors, and weakened encryption today. All amendments to Bill C-22 would be kept secret and voted on without debate.
https://t.co/sxgD7dsZ3r

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

Remember the safeguard the government included last week in Bill C-34 for age verification that required consultation with the privacy commissioner? Five days later, it now plans to repeal the provision as part of creating a super-regulator in Bill C-36.
https://t.co/HnHyTs0btx

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

I apparently understated the power of the Commission. The new privacy bill strips the Privacy Commissioner of Canada of private-sector authority, transferring it to a newly constituted Commissioner who is a government appointed member of the Commission, now called the Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission with a new Privacy and Consumer Data Commissioner. Full digital regulator in Canada.

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

The Commission: Bill C-34’s super-regulator decides how dozens of rules are implemented, including age verification, social media ban exemptions, and harmful content removal requirements. Full investigative power and potential one person will decide it all
https://t.co/qsyPSDXq9i

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

The kids’ social media ban gets the headlines, but my post argues Bill C-34’s most consequential element may be the Commission, a super-regulator overseeing the system with its own rules of evidence, potentially secret hearings, and wide-ranging powers.
https://t.co/BzhiFzzVx4

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

A new privacy bill may be introduced as soon as tomorrow. My post on why the government cannot credibly claim to treat privacy as a fundamental right while actively undermining that right in other bills and with efforts to sideline the Privacy Commissioner
https://t.co/7L3XY334r6

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

The government heavily promoted the idea that the Bill C-34 social media ban could be temporary, with the possibility of exemptions for services that meet certain standards. My post on why the timeline from officials suggests the exemption is an illusion.
https://t.co/3mS1BqLcN3

[Blacklock's Reporter @mindingottawa]

Bill #C34 would appoint “digital safety commission” with powers to order Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat & other social media platforms to remove “categories of harmful content”, including posts deemed “violent extremism.” Bill defines violent extremism as “an act that causes property damage that is committed for a political, religious or ideological purpose” such as “undermining, weakening or destroying fundamental institutions or political, economic or social stability…”

[Jacob Mantle @jacobmantle]

🚨BREAKING!!!🚨

After repeatedly denying Conservative efforts to invite the Privacy Commissioner to testify about his recommendations on Bill C-22, the Liberals now say the bill “has nothing to do with the privacy of people and their personal information.” 🤯

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

My post on why if your idea of dealing urgently with online harms is requiring age verification of the majority of Canadians, taking years to implement, and be led by an enforcement agency that doesn't even exist yet, the Safe Social Media Act is for you.
https://t.co/OR1j9K9UhO

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

I’ve posted a long FAQ with everything you need to know about a kids’ social media ban. Key takeaway: it is an ineffective and harmful policy that raises privacy concerns for tens of millions of Canadians through mandated age verification requirements.
https://t.co/NsQuubFqyI

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

Canadian American Business Council (@cabc_co) submits a scathing brief on Bill C-22, warning it raises fundamental privacy concerns, weakens encryption, and threatens our bilateral partnership on data security. My post on how business views lawful access.
https://t.co/ZHsaoHisIB

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

Yesterday I posted that government cannot claim privacy as a fundamental right in the morning and push mandatory metadata retention that overrides it in the afternoon. Hours later Liberal MPs voted against inviting the Privacy Commish to come to committee.
https://t.co/iAdmg2rC0B

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

How do you know the government is uninterested in the privacy risks of Bill C-22? The Liberal MPs on the Public Safety committee just voted against multiple motions to invite the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to committee to answer questions on potential amendments.

[Raquel Dancho @RaquelDancho]

Conservatives have been warning about this for months.

From Public Safety Canada:

“Connected vehicles, similar to other smart or internet-connected devices, collect significant amounts of data on Canadians, which can have intelligence value.”

Despite Chinese EVs already starting to enter Canada, the government has not debuted any plan to address these risks.

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

My Globe op-ed on Canada's digital self-sabotage ahead of AI strategy release, which has tech sector alarmed and thinking of an exit. No chance at leadership when policies threaten security, make Internet services uneconomic, and raise AI adoption barriers
https://t.co/jXsMxJbzBe

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

The RCMP appeared before the Public Safety and National Security committee yesterday and affirmed that critics' concerns about Bill C-22 are well justified. The bill is about police gaining access to backdoors and encrypted communications.
https://t.co/TAcL8idlFq