Josh Tabish

Government Surveillance Remains a Concern in Canada’s Lawful Access Measure: - Chamber of Progress Revised Bill Enables Unauthorized Access and Encryption Backdoors

“This revised bill falls short of protecting Canadians from weakened encryption and unauthorized spying,” - @joshtabish.bsky.social

Read our full statement here: progresschamber.org/news/governm...

Government Surveillance Remains a Concern in Canada’s Lawful Access Measure: - Chamber of Progress Revised Bill Enables Unauthorized Access and Encryption Backdoors

My statement for @progresschamber.org on the government’s revised lawful access package, Bill C-22 progresschamber.org/news/governm...

Canada's Public Safety Minister released minor revisions to the government’s controversial lawful access measures today.

Last year’s bill was shelved after drawing heavy pushback from privacy groups and the public. (1/4)

NEW: The Public Safety Minister’s revamped lawful access bill is on the notice paper for tomorrow www.ourcommons.ca/documentview...

Your regular reminder that Meta wants Apple & Google to verify ages at app stores – a move that shifts responsibility away from platforms (that actually deliver content and experiences) and creates serious privacy and security risks in the process.

Q&A: CRTC chair opens door to raising base contribution level following court ruling on Online Streaming Act - The Wire Report CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides has raised the stakes on a forthcoming court decision on the efforts of U.S. streaming companies to be absolved of mandated funding contributions for Canadian news and cultur...

The #CRTC’s Chair hints the door is open to raising the 5% base contribution from streamers.

Reminder: most of that money flows into funds that foreign streamers can’t access. The levy doesn’t “level the playing field” as some claim. www.thewirereport.ca/2026/03/06/q...

Ottawa mulls workaround to pass online harms bill without tackling AI - The Logic The government could ask cabinet to regulate ChatGPT and other AI systems at a later date without needing to pass fresh legislation, The Logic has learned

The government is exploring standalone legislation to regulate AI chatbots, according to a letter sent to the online harms advisory panel and obtained by @thelogic.co. thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

Privacy experts sound the alarm as Canada mulls teen social media ban - The Logic Carney says he’s open to the idea of banning children from social media. Experts worry the technology required might not be up to the job.

“We don’t have enough evidence right now of age verification being effective, and we also don’t have enough assessment of the broader consequences that it might have..." thelogic.co/news/canada-...

Small Tweaks Won’t Fix Canada’s  Controversial Surveillance Powers: - Chamber of Progress Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree is pushing ahead with revisions to the government’s lawful access measures in Bill C-2. This news should set off

It’s good to see the government listening. But small tweaks won’t address Canadians’ broader concerns with the bill.

I outlined those concerns in a recent blog post for @progresschamber.org: progresschamber.org/insights/sma...

LeBlanc returns to Washington Plus, Poilievre attends a fancy banquet in Germany’s Hamburg where Angela Merkel is a guest of honour.

Law enforcement is pressuring the government to pass a controversial lawful access regime. The minister is considering narrowing who counts as an “online service provider,” after criticism the definition could apply to almost anyone with an online presence www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/0...

Why the Online Harms Act is the Wrong Way to Regulate AI Chatbots - Michael Geist In the wake of reports that AI Minister Evan Solomon may press AI companies such as OpenAI to more aggressively report potential safety risks identified in private chats to law enforcement, attention ...

Citing earlier pushback to mandatory monitoring and reporting proposals, @mgeist.bsky.social outlines why folding AI chatbots into the government’s most recent Online Harms framework could repeat many of the same policy pitfalls www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/03/why-...

Five Alternatives to a Social Media Ban in Canada: - Chamber of Progress Instead of banning social media for kids, Canada can protect youth with smarter solutions—from age-appropriate design to digital literacy and platform accountability.

As I recently wrote, Canada is a bit of an outlier in not having a national digital literacy curriculum. A national strategy would help ensure every child learns to protect their privacy, navigate social media responsibly, and respond to online harms. progresschamber.org/insights/can...

Canada’s leading digital literacy organization, @mediasmarts.bsky.social, calls on the federal government to create a National Digital Media Literacy Strategy to help protect Canadians from online harms and strengthen digital resilience.

Read their open letter: mediasmarts.ca/about-us/pre...

The push to regulate chatbots after Tumbler Ridge is raising privacy fears - The Logic Many AI users see their exchanges with chatbots as personal conversations. Ottawa must protect their privacy in any legislation, say advocates.

"It’s incredibly delicate for both the government and the companies, because there’s only so much that the government could set down in law that would be appropriate" Important, nuanced reporting from @thelogic.co thelogic.co/news/regulat...

Three years later and the Online Streaming Act remains unimplemented while Canadian shows like Heated Rivalry go viral. The Act hasn’t helped consumers, but it has created a lot of bilateral tension – the USTR named it in their annual report today.

Nearly 400 security & privacy scholars across 29+ countries (including Canada 🇨🇦) are raising red flags about age-assurance mandates on social media. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...

Opinion: OpenAI has shown it cannot be trusted. Canada needs nationalized, public AI OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, lobbied Ottawa for business. All the while it hid its knowledge of Tumbler Ridge shooter

The case for a public AI option sounds noble – but with efforts like ArriveCan and SAAQclic in recent memory, confidence in government running a national AI model isn’t exactly sky-high... www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

Former Competition Bureau chief Matthew Boswell to join Norton Rose Fulbright He oversaw the agency’s unsuccessful bid to stop Rogers’s $20-billion takeover of Shaw, which preceded some changes in competition law

Matthew Boswell’s next chapter: private practice, advising clients on how to comply with the Competition Act. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/eco...

T&T Supermarket partners with Uber Eats - Grocery Business Magazine Customers can now order from T&T Supermarket locations across Canada via Uber Eats, with Quebec delivery launching at a later date. “Uber Eats gives customers who live or work near […]

Incredible news, especially since I've been out of shaoxing wine for weeks. www.grocerybusiness.ca/tt-supermark...

ICYMI, my latest on how we protect kids online without using blunt tools like blanket social media bans

Liberals survive confidence vote as House passes budget implementation bill - National | Globalnews.ca The legislation enacts key measures proposed in the Liberals' 2025 federal budget, which passed a confidence vote for Prime Minister Mark Carney's government in November last year.

The federal government’s Budget Implementation Act, which includes a repeal of the Digital Services Tax, is one step closer to becoming law.
globalnews.ca/news/1170894...

Five Alternatives to a Social Media Ban in Canada: - Chamber of Progress Instead of banning social media for kids, Canada can protect youth with smarter solutions—from age-appropriate design to digital literacy and platform accountability.

Canada may ban social media for under-14s – but early evidence from Australia shows the limits of bans. My latest for @progresschamber.org outlines 5 alternatives that can help reduce harm while keeping kids connected: progresschamber.org/insights/can...

Quebec shut the door on crypto. It just flung it wide open to AI - The Logic Hydro-Québec turned its back on the crypto mining boom. Now, faced with a new AI cash cow, it’s taking a different approach.

Quebec can be an AI hub, but Hydro-Québec’s change of heart on crypto and new pricing leave may industry wondering if la belle province is truly committed to long-term AI growth. Great reporting from @thelogic.co thelogic.co/commentary/q...

Why forcing AI firms to report online threats may not be simple A cybersecurity law expert says Canada could introduce laws requiring artificial intelligence companies to notify police of online threats, but the process would not be a simple one, since reporting e...

A hard but important conversation about when tech companies should share potential online threats with law enforcement – and what’s at stake if we get that balance wrong. Thoughtful, nuanced insights from U of Calgary's Emily Laidlaw: www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

Exciting news! MediaSmarts is proud to launch Canada’s first AI Literacy Day on March 27. Discover resources and learn how to join in: https://mediasmarts.ca/canada-ai-literacy-day #AILiteracyDay

Hooked on the scroll: Understanding social media addiction What questions do you have about social media addiction? What do you want to know about holding tech giants accountable for the design of social media platforms?  Two experts are on the show to field ...

This weekend I joined @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social's Just Asking to answer caller questions about social media and youth. I shared why social media bans fall short, and what smarter, long-term approaches can create safer online spaces without penalizing young people. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

More and more countries are banning kids from social media But the case for bans is weak and the benefits are uncertain

Are social media bans for youth effective? This article breaks down the challenges around design, implementation, and enforcement.

TL;DR – Bans aren't a silver bullet. www.economist.com/briefing/202...

Canada’s lack of driverless cars highlights a larger economic issue The reluctance to allow new technology — in that case, one that can save thousands of lives — is symptomatic of a greater missed economic opportunity in Canada.

About 2,000 Canadians die every year in preventable car crashes. Self-driving cars already operate in cities around the world, with far fewer accidents than humans. So why can’t Canadians ride in one?
I'll give you a hint: it's not snow... 🟥 📼
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Québec has a new digital sovereignty plan. Will it work? | BetaKit The $1.4-billion plan was tabled on the heels of a digital fiasco at the provincial auto board.

Great reality check from @betakit.com on Quebec's new digital sovereignty plan. 👇

The province's approach could mean higher taxpayer costs and longer deployment timelines for key digital infrastructure. betakit.com/quebec-has-a...

Poll finds 90% in favour of social media age ban, while advocates urge action for online harms A majority of Canadians say they would support instituting a minimum age to use social media.

At the risk of being off-side public opinion, banning social media for youth will punish the very kids we’re trying to protect (particularly marginalized and vulnerable ones) while shifting responsibility away from platforms to improve safety. nationalpost.com/news/politic...