Last month, federal privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne, alongside his provincial privacy counterparts from Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, released the results of a multi-year investigation into TikTok’s privacy practices. As my Hub opinion piece notes, the outcome was never really in doubt—look under the hood of any social media company and you will find some privacy concerns—but what was both surprising and risky was the commissioner’s demand that TikTok engage in increased surveillance of its users in the name of better privacy practices.
Articles by: Michael Geist
Robson Hall’s Distinguished Visitors Lecture Series: Dr. Michael Geist on Canada’s Digital Policy Failure
I appeared on the Robson Hall’s Distinguished Visitors Lecture Series on October 7, 2025. There, I discussed Canada’s digital-policy failures, including the need for a more coherent approach to digital governance. The link to the video can be found here.
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 245: Kate Robertson on Bill C-2’s Cross-Border Data Sharing Privacy Risks
Bill C-2, the government’s proposed lawful access legislation, has been the subject of several prior episodes covering warrantless disclosure of information as part of the new information demand power in Part 14 of the bill as well as some of the surveillance technology capabilities found in Part 15. Those remain major issues, but there is another element of the bill that deserves greater attention, particularly at this moment when the Canada – US relationship is increasingly fraught. That issue involves mandated data sharing with implications for Canada’s international treaty obligations under the “Second Additional Protocol” to the Budapest Convention as well as the US Cloud Act. Kate Robertson, a lawyer and senior research associate at the Citizen Lab in the Munk School at the University of Toronto, wrote an extensive brief on these issues soon after the bill was introduced. She joins the Law Bytes podcast to talk about a critical Bill C-2 issue that has thus far attracted limited attention.
No Nonsense with Pamela Wallin: Digital IDs and the Dangers of a Surveillance State with Michael Geist
I appeared on the No Nonsense podcast hosted by Pamela Wallin on October 1, 2025. In the episode, we discussed digital identity systems, privacy, and the risk that expanded identification and data collection could create a broader surveillance infrastructure. The link to the episode is here.
The Sound Off Podcast: Michael Geist: The CRTC Slow Train
I appeared on The Sound Off Podcast on September 23, 2025. In the episode, we discussed the evolving landscape of Canadian media regulation, the impact of lobbyists on Bills C-11 and C-18, the legislation’s unintended consequences for users, and the need for greater transparency as AI reshapes the media landscape. […]
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