Canada’s national spam task force today delivered its report to Industry Minister David Emerson. I was a member of the task force and served as the co-chair of the law and regulatory working group.
Articles by: Michael Geist
CRTC Adopts Strong Regulatory Approach in VoIP Decision
The CRTC issued its much anticipated VoIP decision earlier today. Much to the chagrin of the major telcos, the Commission has adopted a strong regulatory approach. While it exempts P2P VoIP providers such as Skype, the traditional providers face a VoIP framework that looks a lot like the current local regulatory framework.
The Commission reasons that for consumers, local VoIP service looks a lot like (and is marketed like) traditional local phone service. Accordingly, the Commission has set a regulatory framework that addresses everything from reseller registration to phone directory listings to privacy protection.
Up to this point, I’d argue that Commission is on solid ground. Robust competition requires a level playing field and ensuring that all providers can offer equivalent services that consumers rely upon may require regulatory intervention of this kind.
Five Months
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada yesterday released the summary of her finding in my spam case launched against the Ottawa Renegades. My case is now Finding #297 and, true to form, the Renegades are now just an unnamed sports organization. While I am pleased with the outcome of the case […]
Piercing the peer-to-peer myths: An examination of the Canadian Experience
Piercing the Peer-to-Peer Myths: An Examination of the Canadian Experience, First Monday, volume 10, number 4 (April 2005) (2005)
E-commerce and the Law
I’ve been quoted in several news articles this week that highlight interesting e-commerce legal issues
The Wall Street Journal assessed typo pricing on e-commerce sites and the extent to which sites are bound by the errors. I noted that many sites now include provisions that seek to protect them against obvious pricing errors.
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
