Articles by: Michael Geist

Is the Competition Bureau Ready to Take on Media Convergence?

Appeared in the Toronto Star on August 5, 2012 as Is The Competition Bureau Ready to Take on Media Convergence? Canadian broadcasters and broadcast distributors have pursued a convergence strategy for the past decade that has created one of the world’s most concentrated media markets. Four powerhouses – Bell Media, […]

August 7, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Columns Archive

Prime Minister’s Privacy Policy Requires a Re-Write

As public concern over Internet privacy has grown in recent years, one of the first responses is invariably to focus on the need for improved disclosure through easily accessible website privacy policies. The policies provide information on how personal information is collected, used, and disclosed to third parties.

While few visitors read the policies from start to finish, it is important for websites to ensure that they are accurate, since misleading statements can lead to liability. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the need for accuracy is particularly true if you’re say, the Prime Minister of Canada. Yet a reader recently noticed that the Prime Minister’s Office website may be incorrectly stating its use of cookies, which are small files that may be placed on user’s computer hard drive by a website to monitor usage or identify repeat visitors.

July 31, 2012 — 11 comments — Columns

Prime Minister’s Privacy Policy Requires a Re-Write

Appeared in the Toronto Star on July 29, 2012 as Prime Minister’s Privacy Policy Requires a Re-Write As public concern over Internet privacy has grown in recent years, one of the first responses is invariably to focus on the need for improved disclosure through easily accessible website privacy policies. The […]

July 31, 2012 — 1 comment — Columns Archive

CRTC Message to Broadcasters: Regulatory Games Coming to an End

Last week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced that it is terminating the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). The fund, which was established in 2008, funneled over $300 million to broadcasters to support the creation of local programming. The decision caught the industry by surprise with the CBC calling it “astonishing” and Bell Media saying it is a “major concern.”

Yet the end of the LPIF is only the latest in a series of moves that unravel recent regulatory efforts to provide broadcasters with increased financial support. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the courts and the Commission have sent a clear signal that broadcasters should focus on marketplace success, not manipulating the regulatory system.

July 24, 2012 — 8 comments — Columns

CRTC’s Message to Broadcasters: Regulatory Games Coming To An End

Appeared in the Toronto Star on July 22, 2012 as CRTC’s Message to Broadcasters: Regulatory Games Coming to an End Last week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced that it is terminating the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). The fund, which was established in 2008, funneled over $300 million […]

July 24, 2012 — 1 comment — Columns Archive