Big Tech needs ‘to come to the table’ to figure out social media ban: Canada’s heritage minister

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Josh Tabish, senior director for Canada at Chamber of Progress, a coalition funded by such tech companies as Google, Apple and OpenAI and Robolx, said in a statement that means teens could be living under a ban without new safety standards being in place. 

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“They also confirmed there is no way to set temporary standards while the new regulator is being built, giving platforms little reason to invest in safety now if they don’t see a clear path to earning an exemption from the ban.

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“We know age bans aren’t super effective. Teens will find a workaround, get back on the platform, and see little has changed while the new regulator slowly gets up and running,” said Tabish.

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His statement also pointed to how the CRTC, the regulator for traditional broadcasting, has taken more than three years to implement the country’s Online Streaming Act.

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While Miller acknowledged it would take upwards of 18 months for a new regulator to be fully operational, he said it would be “incorrect” to suggest that nothing would happen until then.

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“There will be a phased implementation of the commission, and we expect a set of priorities to be set, obviously about important issues around enforcement and compliance,” he said.

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“I assume one of their tasks will be that discussion with industry.”

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He nevertheless defended the timelines being placed on the tech industry.

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“Between the balance of inconvenience here, I think given what’s been going on in the past years with a number of these platforms, people will forgive us for taking a little more time to make sure that these things are compliant, and if they’re not, then they can’t open up accounts for kids.”

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Miller said he expects the “usual suspects” to find their way onto the government’s list, listing off Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X.

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“There are usual suspects here, obviously, that we would expect if they don’t change their behavior will go on, and they can fully expect to be on that list, barring evidence to the contrary.”

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He defended the proposed timeline, saying that acting responsibly online falls to platform operators and characterized how the government wants to act with “caution.”

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“I would expect the commission to move as quickly as possible, but it could be that if companies don’t satisfy the requirements, they will have to impose an age restriction until they do prove it, so it could be well over 18 months,” Miller said.

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“Companies that are acting in good faith, moving quickly as possible, but it could be up to 18 months until they get exemption.”

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Taylor Owen, a digital governance expert and founding director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University, who also served on the government’s advisory panel for developing its online safety regime, says he sees the way the government is proposing to apply an age restriction as an “incentive for compliance.”

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He said getting companies to follow what is known as an “age-appropriate design code” has proven difficult in other jurisdictions.

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“It’s a tool to get compliance in an age-appropriate design code, to incentivize it, so that I think is an interesting twist on age-restrictions.”

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He said examples of age-appropriate measures seen in other jurisdictions include disallowing a stranger to be able to contact a minor and the removal of auto-play algorithms that automatically recommends what video or content plays next for a user.

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As for the proposed rollout, Owen said seeking perfection carries its own set of risks.