Project
Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression
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YEAR TWO | HOW TO MAKE ONLINE PLATFORMS MORE TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE TO USERS
The Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression was established in spring 2020 with a three-year mandate to better understand, anticipate, and respond to the effects of new digital technologies on public life and Canadian democracy. In January 2021, the Commission published the first of its three annual reports, which laid out a six-step program to reduce online hate and other harms.
In year two, the Commission will deliberate on the central question: “How can governments and the public incentivize greater transparency and accountability measures to minimize the potential harms of online platforms including mis and disinformation, online hate and abuses of privacy.” To this end, the Commission will explore a range of policies being debated around the world to make online systems more transparent to users and researchers and accountable to the public interest.
The Commission will explore a range of policies being debated around the world to make online systems more transparent to users and researchers and accountable to the public interest. These policies are at the forefront of the governance conversation and would allow Canada to serve as a leader in the global policy conversation about what can be done about harmful information without crossing free speech lines. The Commission will put forth recommendations to increase transparency and accountability and otherwise lessen the incentives that favour these forms of expression over other forms.
To this end, the Commission will undertake a six-month program of study and deliberation, beginning this September and informed by expert testimony and custom research organized by McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. The work of the second Commission will culminate in the Spring of 2022 with the publication of its findings.
We are pleased to announce the participation of nine eminent Canadians who have agreed to serve as Commissioners in 2021-22. The Commissioners bring a range of perspectives and skills and have extensive experience in the areas of law, media, technology, citizen participation, and politics.
- Rick Anderson, Principal, Earnscliffe Strategy Group
- Wendy Chun, Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, Simon Fraser University
- Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal, Massey College, Full Professor, Faculty of Law (Common Law) University of Ottawa, Distinguished Visitor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
- Amira Elghawaby, Director of Programming and Outreach, Canadian Race Relations Foundation
- Merelda Fiddler-Potter, Vanier Scholar, PhD. Candidate, and Executive in Residence, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
- Philip N. Howard, Director, Programme on Democracy and Technology and Professor of Internet Studies, Balliol College, University of Oxford
- Vivek Krishnamurthy, Samuelson-Glushko Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa
- The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, PC, CC
- Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University
Citizen Assembly on Democratic Expression
Informing the work of the Commission will be the second of three national Citizens’ Assemblies. The Citizens’ Assembly will be selected using a civic lottery, a process which employs random selection while ensuring that the Assembly broadly represents the diversity of the Canadian population. The Assembly will complement the work of the Commission by undertaking a parallel, though integrated, three-month program of study and deliberation on a focussed issue. In 2021, the Citizens’ Assembly will consider whether there should be legal penalties or other consequences for individuals and organizations that knowingly spread disinformation online with the intention to cause harm.
Like the Commission, the work of the Assembly will be informed by expert testimony and custom research organized by McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. The work of the second Citizen Assembly on Democratic Expression will culminate in Winter 2021 with the publication of a report detailing its findings.
Articles
Recommendations to Strengthen Canada’s Response to the Spread of Disinformation Online
In our second year, we again invited Canadians to volunteer to advise the Commission on Democratic Expression as well as the federal government on the regulation of digital platforms. In the midst of a pandemic, more than 600 Canadians volunteered to serve and 42 were randomly selected to represent the provinces and territories.
Recommendations to Strengthen Canada’s Response to New Digital Technology and Reduce the Harm Caused by their Misuse
How can we create a vibrant digital public sphere that doesn’t by design expose people to an ocean of baser instincts — much less to hatred and abuse? The Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Expression explores the question of online harms, as Canadians spend more and more time on the Internet, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic. These 42 members, randomly selected from a pool of volunteers, who we hope represent the widest possible range of voices and perspectives, come together to provide 33 recommendations that balance the harms of misuse of technology with freedom of speech.
Harms Reduction: A Six-Step Program to Protect Democratic Expression Online
The health of our democracy ultimately depends on citizens having the capacity, willingness and opportunity to participate in our public life. Following nine months of study and deliberations, the Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression has settled on a six-part, made-in-Canada plan to address hate speech and other online harms, while balancing freedom of speech.
Processes, People and Public Accountability
Researchers and reporters documented three forms of harmful online communication during Canada’s 2019 federal election campaign: abuse of individuals, intolerance and hate toward marginalized groups in public online spaces, and an increase in support for hate in private online spaces. In this report, authors Heidi Tworek and Chris Tenove propose a framework to distinguish key dimensions of harmful online communication in Canada, and offer several principles to guide policy development in Canada.
The Legal Aspects of Hate Speech in Canada
As a starting point for further dialogue, lawyer Lex Gill explores the legal tensions and policy questions that have historically animated debates surrounding hate speech in Canada. This report summarizes some of the most significant recent developments, in particular the ways technological, economic and social change have begun to challenge the ways we think about harmful expression.
Public Interest and Media Infrastructures
Today’s media systems include the powerful social media companies that watch, commodify, and manipulate us as they buy and sell our data. Mike Ananny urges a more sophisticated understanding of the privately controlled infrastructures where important decisions are made shaping behaviours, beliefs and online news. These might look like boring, messy, technical places where only engineers work, but regulators need to grasp their complexities and tackle the prevailing secrecy to better protect the public interest.
Science Disinformation in a Time of Pandemic
By drawing parallels to elections, climate change and the anti-vaccination movement, author Christopher Dornan illustrates how disinformation about COVID-19 can pose significant risks for public health, social cohesion and collective trust. Dornan identifies several useful recommendations for citizens, governments and social media platforms to consider to effectively combat disinformation and engage in evidence-based discussion about scientific findings.
Partners
Thank you to our partners
