Law Prof, CRC in Internet and E-commerce Law @uocommonlaw @LawBytesPod Mastodon: https://xitter.cf/t.co/i2Y7ZQJ4PS | @mgeist@mas.to https://xitter.cf/t.co/3QZfqszBsa https://xitter.cf/t.co/F736lh0mJt

Ottawa, Canada
Joined April 2008
If you follow me for Canadian digital policy, copyright, and AI regulation, the deeper analysis lives on my Substack - including every Law Bytes podcast episode embedded in full. Free to subscribe: mgeist.substack.com/
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Michael Geist retweeted
Privacy Commissioner of Canada to investigate data #breach involving Crime Stoppers. priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/news-…
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Parliament is in full swing with a big slate of digital bills: lawful access (C-22), social media ban (C-34), AI regulation and privacy reform (C-36). My Law Bytes podcast this week: a fall update on where each stands and what to watch in the weeks ahead. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/the-…
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Senate and House hearings on high-profile digital bills begin in the coming weeks. My Law Bytes podcast this week covers the recent developments on lawful access, the social media ban, AI and privacy reform, and what is likely to matter most this fall. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/the-…
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Parliament is in full swing with a big slate of digital bills: lawful access (C-22), social media ban (C-34), AI regulation and privacy reform (C-36). My Law Bytes podcast this week: a fall update on where each stands and what to watch in the weeks ahead. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/the-…
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Google on Bill C-22's lawful access provisions: "This treats all users as potential criminals. Metadata is not merely ‘administrative’ data – in some cases metadata can contain core biographical data that is fundamental to a citizen’s private life." theglobeandmail.com/politics…
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Michael Geist Weekly Digest #30: the Bill C-34 Charter statement, the House debate, the Heritage committee response, the federal government on antisemitism and anti-Zionism, digital sovereignty on the Law Bytes podcast, and the Crime Stoppers breach linkedin.com/pulse/weekly-di…
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Heritage committee witnesses said social media bans don’t work, can backfire, require invasive data collection, and that kids find workarounds. MPs asked the government to study other countries first. Instead, it jumped to a ban now, with a review later. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/the-…
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Potentially one of the most harmful data breaches Canada has ever seen: 1.5 million Crime Stoppers tips over 25 years, many with personal information, exposed through a third-party vendor. I spoke with CBC’s The National about the privacy fallout. cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7…
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Michael Geist retweeted
Germany, France and at least six other EU countries are pushing against “associate membership” as the name for closer EU ties with Canada, six diplomats involved in the negotiations said. vist.ly/5pmj8
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The Heritage committee spent months studying kids and social media. It recommended banning targeted ads to minors but stopped short of a social media ban. The government did the reverse: it rejected the ad ban and legislated an under-16 ban in Bill C-34. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/the-…
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Michael Geist retweeted
The Bill C-34 debate began yesterday with the government pressing opposition MPs to back creating the Digital Safety Commission, a regulator with no defined powers, no exemption criteria, and no list of regulated services. Regulator first, rules later. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/regu…
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The C-34 debate had plenty of time for whether MPs back the Digital Safety Commission and none for whether a ban on every Canadian under 16 and ID checks for millions are consistent with the Charter. The regulator got priority. Privacy rights did not. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/regu…
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The Bill C-34 debate began yesterday with the government pressing opposition MPs to back creating the Digital Safety Commission, a regulator with no defined powers, no exemption criteria, and no list of regulated services. Regulator first, rules later. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/regu…
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Michael Geist retweeted
Govt released its Charter statement on Bill C-34’s under-16 social media ban. No evidence, no case law, no foreign comparisons. By pointing to less restrictive alternatives, it concedes safeguards can address the risks and makes the case against the bill. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/maki…
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Major new UK government-commissioned report on antisemitism in schools and colleges. The government immediately commits to implementing all 27 recommendations. Compare with TMU, which seeks to delay and sideline the Benotto report on campus antisemitism. assets.publishing.service.go…
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The Bill C-34 Charter statement defends the social media ban by relying on safeguards: age assurance standards, Privacy Commissioner review, exemptions. But none will exist before millions of Canadians must verify their age and put their privacy at risk. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/maki…
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Govt released its Charter statement on Bill C-34’s under-16 social media ban. No evidence, no case law, no foreign comparisons. By pointing to less restrictive alternatives, it concedes safeguards can address the risks and makes the case against the bill. michaelgeist.ca/2026/10/maki…
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