Bill C-11 Received A Majority Vote From Shady Senators – Government Is Killing Your Internet
The Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) will kill your internet
Do you enjoy watching YouTube videos that are suggested to you based on your interests and viewing history, getting the best results from a Google search for your specific keywords, and having Netflix play whatever you want?
All of that is now in jeopardy, and senators, who should be focused on more important issues, are abusing their position of authority and are deciding on things you take for granted that are unaffected by the government. Our MPs will very soon hold a FINAL VOTE on Bill C-11 — new legislation that could give the CRTC sweeping new powers to regulate and manipulate YOUR videos, search results, podcasts, and Netflix recommendations. Bill C-11 would be a blow to Canadian content creators.
This important Bill C-11 update was something I wanted to make sure you weren’t missing. The Senate on Thursday passed the Online Streaming Act. Senators made a critical amendment correction in response to complaints from irate internet users, but they also got some critical details wrong. Here is an outline of what took place.
The “Good News” and “The Bad News”
- The Good news: The majority of the content posted by common users on platforms is no longer subject to CRTC regulation as “broadcasting,” thanks to an amendment to Section 4.1 proposed by Senators Simons and Miville-Deschêne.
- The Bad News: The CRTC could still manipulate your search results, feeds, and recommendations and fill them with government-approved “Canadian content” of their choosing because no amendments were made to limit what the CRTC can do around making content “discoverable.”
- And Even MORE Bad News: The Senate slipped in a sneaky age verification requirement for platforms, AKA opening the door to the possibility of making you upload your private government ID in order to access ANY KIND of website. The risks of this amendment have not been evaluated through witness interviews, public reviews, or discussions.
The Senate’s amendments to Bill C-11 will now be considered by the House of Commons, where members will vote to accept or reject them. This means that we only have a brief window to mobilize MPs and pass the good amendments while rejecting the bad ones.
What is Bill C-11?
The purpose of Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, was to advance online Canadian storytelling. The bill has actually been written so broadly that it now allows the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to snoop on every aspect of your online activities. This includes modifying your search results and news feeds, requesting identification before granting you access to websites like Reddit and Twitter, and managing your favorite YouTube channels, TikToks, streaming services, and other content, including even YOUR OWN uploads.
Bill C-11 is a crucial piece of legislation that needs to be done correctly, but it’s not the only one that will soon be before us. Fast-moving proposals are being made in the areas of competition, news, privacy, and harmful content, some of which may improve our Internet and some of which may significantly deteriorate it.
What you can do
Over 103,000 of us have made it clear that only Canadians, not the government or the CRTC, should decide what we see and hear online. We can’t stop here; the Senate has listened to us and significantly improved the Bill.
All of your efforts to fix this bill could be undone if we don’t keep up the momentum with the House of Commons. That cannot be permitted to occur.
The finish line is so close, but faltering now would be disastrous for the Internet in Canada as we know it. Send an email to your MP right away urging them to support important changes to Bill C-11!
Conclusion…
I don’t know how you feel about all of this but I don’t like it when the Government interferes with my choices. Choices that are not harming anybody or a threat to the public or government. This isn’t a regulation, this is a way for the government to control what you do and what you see.
This seems to be a common tactic with the government trying to control the online world. I’m all for supporting Canadian content, but I don’t want it crammed down my throat especially if it is garbage content. If they want us to watch more Canadian content, then make better Canadian content that people want to see or hear about. As the saying goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” And no, I’m not insinuating that Canadians are “flies” by any means, it’s just a saying.
What are your thoughts on this Bill? Are you for or against it? Post your answer in the comments, and PLEASE, if you want your say please fill out this petition which will be sent to your MPs for you.
Cheers!
