Archive for October 21st, 2008

Canadian Political Parties Practice Politics 1.0 in a Web 2.0 World

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, Ottawa Citizen version, homepage version) assess the use of the Internet in the last election.  Business increasingly recognizes the need for an Internet strategy that engages current and prospective customers.  In the just-concluded national election, many analysts anticipated an "Internet election" with sophisticated websites, active blogging, YouTube videos, Facebook groups, and rapid-fire Twitter postings. 

While the public and activist groups used the Internet to promote their candidates (partisan bloggers for each party provided a near-continuous echo chamber of commentary), issues (the Culture in Peril YouTube video had a marked impact the Quebec electorate) or to encourage strategic voting patterns (Voteforenvironment.ca received considerable attention), the political parties themselves seemed stuck with Web 1.0 strategies in a Web 2. 0 world.  Each party had the requisite websites, yet their most innovative initiatives – the Conservatives' Notaleader.ca and the Liberals' Scandalpedia.ca to name two – were quickly dismissed as juvenile sites that did more harm than good (the New Democrats' Orange Room is a notable exception).

With months of advance preparation, why did the parties perform so poorly?

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October 21, 2008 4 comments Columns

CRTC Considers Changes to Do-Not-Call List

The CRTC has announced that it is considering changes to the do-not-call list, including an expansion of the exception for political parties and consideration of how to allow for lengthier registrations (rather than just three years before renewal).  Comments are due by December 4, 2008.

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October 21, 2008 3 comments News

Lessig on How the DMCA Stifles Political Speech

Larry Lessig pens an op-ed in the NY Times explaining how the DMCA has resulted in copyright law being used as a tool for censorship.

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October 21, 2008 Comments are Disabled News