Tyler Hamilton has a terrific article on Toronto Hydro’s progress in creating a city-wide wifi system.
Telecom by yum9me (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/53jSy4
Telecom
Canada to Launch Cybersecurity Task Force?
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) reports that the the Conservative government is preparing to launch a Cyber-Security Task Force. Although the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness does not list any information about the task force on its site, GEDS, the government’s electronic directory service, was recently updated to include a Cybersecurity Task Force Secretariat. The Secretariat apparently at least includes an Assistant Deputy Minister and a senior policy analyst.
While the move to address shortcomings in Canada’s cyber-security framework is welcome, the creation of this task force raises three important issues.
Rogers CFO Speculates on Tiered Access
Rogers CFO Doug Linton has told an investors’ conference that ISPs must move toward increased tiered pricing for customers.
Soccer Broadcaster Offside With Demands
Soccer fans around the world are anxiously anticipating this summer's FIFA World Cup. FIFA's broadcast partner, Infront Sports and Media, is apparently looking ahead to the World Cup for a different reason. With the exclusive broadcast rights in hand, Infront's lawyers are sending pre-emptive notice and takedown notifications to Internet service providers. One Canadian ISP has received a letter from Baker & McKenzie, the Infront's Canadian counsel, in which the firm notes the potential for the posting of unauthorized clips or images from the games and demands:
"Should your service be used for the purpose of such unlawful activities we will alert you as a matter of urgency and trust you will assist in taking down any infringing material so you can avoid any joint liability for such infringements, as well as assisting us in identifying the infringers."
While the World Cup is an important sports event, is it really so important that its rights holders and their lawyers believe that Canadian law doesn't apply to them? At least three issues come to mind.
Crawford on Competition
Interesting post from Susan Crawford on broadband competition with analysis that applies equally in Canada.
Recent Posts
The Lawful Access Two-Headed Surveillance Monster: How Bill C-22 Went Off the Rails 
How Much Further Will Lawful Access Go?: Police Chief Tells Bill C-22 Hearing That Three Years of Metadata Retention Would Be “Ideal” 
Bill C-22’s Groundhog Day: Why the Government’s Dismissal of Signal, Apple and the U.S. Congress Concerns Runs Back the Disastrous Online News Act Playbook 
Slick Videos Won’t Save Lawful Access: Why The Government’s Bill C-22 Defence Avoids the Charter, Privacy and Security Concerns Raised By Critics 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 268: Sara Grimes on the Moral Panic Behind Banning Kids from Social Media and AI Chatbots
