Appeared on May 8, 2006 in the Toronto Star as Supreme Court Tips Its Hand on Privacy The Access to Information Act has generated increasing attention over the past few months as Prime Minister Steven Harper has acknowledged the need for its reform as part of his accountability plans for […]
Articles by: Michael Geist
Online Rights Canada Launches Grassroots Copyright Campaign
Online Rights Canada, a joint initiative of EFF and CIPPIC, has launched an important new grassroots campaign on copyright reform. With Canadian musicians speaking out in favour of balance, ORC is ensuring that individual Canadians can easily have their voice heard as well. The campaign makes it easy to write […]
SSHRC Backtracks on Open Access
Disappointing news from Peter Suber’s excellent Open Access blog, where he reports that the SSHRC has slowed down its quest to adopt open access principles into its research approach. In October 2004, SSHRC decided to move toward an open access approach that would increase access to its (publicly) funded research. Following consultations, the funding agency has now stated that "the idea of open access to all research is widely accepted, but presents a number of implementation obstacles, and the community is by and large cautious. Rather than imposing mandatory requirements on researchers to publish via open access, Council chose to increase awareness of open access, pursue discussions with major stakeholders, and gradually incorporate open access provisions in research support programs."
WIPO Broadcast Treaty Lurches Forward
Reports from Geneva indicate that five days of discussion at WIPO has led to a compromise on the proposed Broadcasting Treaty with a two-track approach that removes highly contentious webcast provisions from the conventional broadcast treaty. While this is good news, the entire broadcast treaty is a solution in search […]
The Census and Open Source
Several people have written to me about the federal government’s online census system, which is open only to Windows and Mac users. Russell provides a good analysis of the security issues raised by the approach.
Recent Posts
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 
Queen’s University Trustees Reject Divestment Efforts Emphasizing the Importance of Institutional Neutrality
