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Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

cbc.ca

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Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#21

Post by tenpies »

This is a CBC article so keep in mind its bias in favour of the Liberals who pushed this bill through.

For anyone interested in a more balanced view, Michael Geist is law professor, research chair, and overall internet policy nerd. I highly recommend his review of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/

It's also interesting to put what the Trudeau Liberals are doing in perspective. This is just one of three internet censorship bills that they will pass before 2026.

C-11 (this bill), will allow the Liberals to dictate what platforms show. Simply put, the books aren't being censored, they're just telling the book stores what should be on the shelves. It also adds what is effectively a new tax for content creators which the Federal government will distribute for Canadian content. Keep an eye for scandals about how these funds were distributed in a couple of years.

C-18 is the next one. In short, the Trudeau Liberals will implement another a tax on links, so aggregators such as Google may be forced to pay when they link to say the CBC. Google has already said they may simply stop linking to news services in Canada if they pass this, giving the government funded Canadian news agencies even more power. Good write up: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/02/billc18reality/

The Online Safety Bill - not yet formally proposed - will likely be the coup de gras. Not much is known yet, but given how easily you can censor anything under the guise of "safety" and the Liberal's proclivity towards extra-judicial action, it probably won't be good.

Overall, Canada's internet will look very North Korean by the time the next elections roll about. If you're visiting, you should probably have a VPN ready to go before you cross the border.

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#22

Post by pcthrowaway »

frumper wrote: post #6
kneebonian wrote: post #3

This is my biggest worry that as countries continue to add more and more laws the internet becomes more and more fragmented and soon instead of the internet we have the EUnet, the CAnet, the ChinaNet, the RussiaNet the AmericaNet, etc.

This sounds more like telling companies that sell to Canadians to put back into the Canadian economy and to support all Canadian customers, not just the easy ones. I'm sure it's nice to have Netflix pay Canadian taxes, but what is better is if Netflix helps create jobs for Canadians by using revenue that Netflix earns by operating in Canada. That seems reasonable to me for every country.

I think it's just going to lead to higher Netflix prices in Canada. The requirements honestly seem too harsh. 30% of revenue, not even profits.

Ultimately, lots of Canadian artists and content producers will benefit, though other industries (software engineers, advertising, marketing, management, etc.) may be impacted. I'm.. kind of OK with this, but I wonder if the requirement will make these streaming services produce content that people aren't even asking for, just to satisfy the policy

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#23

Post by diego_moita »

tenpies wrote: post #21

This is a CBC article so keep in mind its bias in favour of the Liberals who pushed this bill through. For anyone interested in a more balanced view, Michael Geist is law professor, research chair, and overall internet policy nerd. I highly recommend his review of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/ It's also interesting to put what the Trudeau Liberals are doing in perspective. This is just one…

> Overall, Canada's internet will look very Chinese or possibly even North Korean by the time the next elections roll about.

Oh, I see. And you're accusing the CBC of "bias"?

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#24

Post by Laaas »

tenpies wrote: post #21

This is a CBC article so keep in mind its bias in favour of the Liberals who pushed this bill through. For anyone interested in a more balanced view, Michael Geist is law professor, research chair, and overall internet policy nerd. I highly recommend his review of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/ It's also interesting to put what the Trudeau Liberals are doing in perspective. This is just one…

> Overall, Canada's internet will look very Chinese or possibly even North Korean by the time the next elections roll about.

Aren't most Anglophone countries besides the US like this?

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#25

Post by asjfka »

>The government has insisted that the legislation is not intended to regulate independent content creators.

What does that means? If I upload videos on Youtube, then I'm probably in the clear. But if I make my own website with videos on it, am I still an "independent content creators" or am I now a streaming service in need of being regulated? How big I need to become before the law apply to me? Is this a new barrier to entry so the little guys are stuck with existing platform?

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#26

Post by bryanlarsen »

tenpies wrote: post #21

This is a CBC article so keep in mind its bias in favour of the Liberals who pushed this bill through. For anyone interested in a more balanced view, Michael Geist is law professor, research chair, and overall internet policy nerd. I highly recommend his review of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/ It's also interesting to put what the Trudeau Liberals are doing in perspective. This is just one…

The CBC is biased because they'll be a significant beneficiary of the bill -- they're a big source of Canadian content that others can license, so this will help them get paid.

No need to go deep into conspiracy land for the bias.

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#27

Post by version_five »

tenpies wrote: post #21

This is a CBC article so keep in mind its bias in favour of the Liberals who pushed this bill through. For anyone interested in a more balanced view, Michael Geist is law professor, research chair, and overall internet policy nerd. I highly recommend his review of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/ It's also interesting to put what the Trudeau Liberals are doing in perspective. This is just one…

Absolutely correct.

People love to pick on authoritarian governments in China or wherever but just look the other way and pretend it isn't true when it happens in Canada or Australia. The US will be in the same place in 10 years.

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#28

Post by George83728 »

juancampa wrote: post #7
walterbell wrote: post #2

> The legislation requires streaming services, such as Netflix and Spotify, to pay to support Canadian media content like music and TV shows. Canada deleted their Youtube channel with 3,000+ digitally restored works of Canadian Content, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35716982

A similar law was passed in Venezuela in ~2005. It forced radio stations to play traditional Venezuelan music as a percent of all their airtime. From the only article I could find in english [0]: > The law can make listening to the radio an adventure in dizzying contrasts. One minute a disc jockey is playing American rap, and the next minute it’s flutes and fiddles from the Andean highlands. It pushed some local arti…

TBQH the flutes and fiddles sounds more interesting than homogeneous ubiquitous commercial pop culture.

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#29

Post by pseudo0 »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #18
juancampa wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A similar law was passed in Venezuela in ~2005. It forced radio stations to play traditional Venezuelan music as a percent of all their airtime. From the only article I could find in english [0]: > The law can make listening to the radio an adventure in dizzying contrasts. One minute a disc jockey is playing American rap, and the next minute it’s flutes and fiddles from the Andean highlands. It pushed some local arti…

Canada already has this law, for as long as I can remember.

It sounds cruel and unusual to torment the population with Nickelback and Justin Bieber.

Re: Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada

#30

Post by juancampa »

George83728 wrote: post #28
juancampa wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A similar law was passed in Venezuela in ~2005. It forced radio stations to play traditional Venezuelan music as a percent of all their airtime. From the only article I could find in english [0]: > The law can make listening to the radio an adventure in dizzying contrasts. One minute a disc jockey is playing American rap, and the next minute it’s flutes and fiddles from the Andean highlands. It pushed some local arti…

TBQH the flutes and fiddles sounds more interesting than homogeneous ubiquitous commercial pop culture.

Not if you’re listening to a Rock station, or Hip-Hop, or whatever it is you like to listen to.
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