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With the passage of Bill C-11 on Thursday, the future of the internet in Canada is up in the air.

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Thats not an outrageous statement for anyone who has bothered to read the bill weve just passed into a law a bill that gives incredible control over internet content to the government.

Whats worse, much of that control will come through yet-to-be-developed regulatory measures designed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the broadcast regulator commonly called the CRTC.

Much has been made of the laws ability to regulate user-generated content on social media sites many have called the bill a censorship law, and there is plenty to worry about there. Neither of those concerns, though, deal with the far-reaching ability of the federal government to control everything you see, read, watch or listen to online.

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In the future, you may be listening to an audiobook and find that you need to consume some Canadian content before moving onto the next book. You could be listening to your music playlist, the one you curated, and start hearing a Canadian artist you didnt select coming through the speakers.

This is the kind of control the government has now granted itself.

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Given that radio stations are required to ensure that 35% of the popular music they play is Canadian content, how far-fetched is it that this will be the case for Canadian consumers of Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon? What about a CRTC decree that Netflix or Paramount Plus must stream a certain amount of Canadian content to be allowed to operate here in Canada?

None of this is far-fetched, its the kind of regulations that exist for traditional broadcasters and now the regulator for those broadcasters, the CRTC, will be in charge of the online world. Industry insiders believe this is an unlikely scenario but the law would allow it and lobbyists for certain parts of the cultural sector may demand it.

Especially once the online platforms are forced to turn over sensitive data on subscribers and revenue to the CRTC.

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So yes, C-11 has given the government the ability to regulate user content on social media, it has given itself the ability to censor content that it doesnt like, but, more importantly, it has given itself the ability to control every aspect of your online experience. We are potentially moving from the open and rambunctious world wide web to a controlled online experience where we can access what the government allows us to access.

While I dont expect the federal government or CRTC to block access to services, I do expect that the regulations will lead to some services not being offered or launched in Canada. We should also expect that some companies may leave or cut Canadian staff as the cost to comply with the new regulations rises.

We have entered the great unknown for the future of the online world in Canada. All the major platforms that we use each and every day are now regulated by the CRTC.

How that will play out and how that will impact the way we consume content online will now be determined by unelected, unaccountable to the public, bureaucrats in Ottawa. We have to hope they get it right, but history tells us they wont.

Read the rest here:
LILLEY: C-11 is now law and the internet is under government control - Toronto Sun