Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, Shared Services Canada – Public Environment Analysis Digital Government – January 1, 2019 to March 6, 2020

Overview - Summary

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• Coverage on digital government and related areas has significantly declined since last year. The majority of coverage has focused on artificial intelligence and data privacy, particularly with respect to facial-recognition technology.
• The tone of coverage has become increasingly negative in the wake of revelations about the widespread use of Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology.

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Over the past year, there has been extensive coverage on the subject of digital government and related areas, particularly in English language media. The French coverage of the topic was significantly higher in proportion than usual, but focused on provincial issues. The majority of coverage has focused on the following topics:
  • In English: digital government (in general), artificial intelligence and digital rights / data privacy
  • In French: the Digital Charter, artificial intelligence and data privacy
• Coverage has closely tracked major developments in digital government and related areas, but there are no discernable patterns in coverage. The only significant peak in coverage occurred on April 25, 2019 when the Office of the Privacy Commissioner announced that it would take Facebook to court following an investigation that found the social media giant violated numerous Canadian privacy laws. The focus was primarily on the Facebook issues.
• The tone of coverage has been variable and, overall, mixed.

Social media analysis

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach (i.e. the total number of unique users that have potentially seen a particular piece of content) was 139.3M from 35.9K mentions by 25.6K users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked most notably on two occasions:
  • On April 25, after the federal government vowed to take Facebook to court over privacy violations;
  • Between May 16 and May 26, following the creation of the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence and the launch of Canada's Digital Charter.
• The top five hashtags were #cdnpoli (9.3%), #privacy (7.7%), #canada (4.2%), #christchurchcall (2.4%), and #gcdigital (1.9%).
• A search of the French search terms resulted in significantly less results. The majority of the activity surrounded topics such as the Open Government Summit, the launch of the Digital Charter, and Facebook's violation of Canadian privacy laws in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Public Opinion Research

Link to GCpedia page on public opinion research studies on information technology

Digital government

The 2018 survey conducted by the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service looked at services delivered by all levels of government in Canada. [redacted]

A 2016 study found that the top challenges faced by the public service included improving service delivery to meet citizens' expectations, responding to changes in the organization's mission or goals and hiring and developing people with the right skills. Respondents indicated that intelligent technologies implementation would also help the public service stay ahead in the competition to attract and retain talent by improving reputation and image among younger, more technically adept employees.

Artificial intelligence

A 2019 Ipsos poll for the WEF indicated widespread concern about AI, with four in ten (41%) adults across the world worried about the use of AI. In addition, four in ten (40%) agreed that the government's use of AI should be restricted more strictly than it is now, and 48% agreed that the use of AI by companies should be regulated more strictly than it currently is.

Although there is concern about the use of AI, a majority of Canadians say embracing AI is important or somewhat important for the prosperity of Canada, even if they are not fully confident (70%) in the ability of the Government of Canada to protect Canadian's privacy in a world with more data created by AI (2019 Nanos poll).

Data privacy & security

Recent research, conducted on behalf of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, indicates that Canadians feel they are knowledgeable about their privacy rights but are still concerned about privacy protection and how their online information will be used.

The study indicated that Canadians lack a clear understanding of the Government of Canada's collection of personal information about citizens, but that despite this most would be at least somewhat comfortable with the Government sharing their personal information with another federal department with their consent. They also feel they lack control over how their personal information is being used and want government to be responsible for helping them to protect their personal information. News stories on security breaches still have a large impact on Canadians' willingness to share personal information.

A 2016 Ipsos poll found that a majority of Canadians believed their personal information held by the federal Government (53%) was vulnerable to security breaches, including in-house non-authorized use or access, external hacking, and theft.

Detailed analysis of topics

Digital Government

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• There has been scant coverage on digital government.
• At the beginning of February, the National Post and other news outlets published a Canadian Press report on the state of federal IT systems. According to a briefing binder obtained by the Canadian Press, "mission-critical" IT systems are "rusting out and at risk of failure." The article quotes Andre Leduc from the Information Technology Association of Canada, who suggested that this will be difficult to fix for two reasons: the money required, and lack of willingness to do major IT work after high-profile project failures such as the Phoenix pay system.

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• There has been significant coverage on digital government. Overall, the tone of coverage has been more positive than negative. Stakeholders generally hold a positive view of the move toward digital government but have expressed concerns about the slow pace of change.
• The National Post and other news outlets reported in January 2019 that the House Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee would be studying how Canada could adopt Estonia's model for digital government services. The article noted that MPs are particularly interested in the security and privacy implications of digital government services.
• From January to February 2019, Policy Options IRPP published a special series on digital government called "Wiring Public Policy for Digital Government." The series examined the challenges associated with moving toward digital government, including the need to transform the culture of the public service, change policy-making and develop public servants' "digital literacy" skills.
• A report from the Public Policy Forum, published in March 2019, highlighted the need to recruit and retain women with digital skills as being central to the federal government's digital strategy.
• The Future Economy interviewed then-CIO Alex Benay in March 2019. Mr. Benay discussed the digital revolution and what the federal government is doing to prepare for digital disruption.
• GovInsider interviewed Minister Joyce Murray at the Open Government Partnership Summit held in May 2019. Minister Murray outlined the federal government's new, agile approach to developing a pay system to replace Phoenix, as well as its approach to hiring tech talent.
• Mr. Benay's departure in August 2019 was widely reported. In an interview with Civil Circles (Hill Times article), Mr. Benay advised his successor to pursue "relentless incrementalism" and to aim for "quick wins, small wins" in digitizing government services.
• The Hill Times profiled the Canadian Digital Service (CDS) and its CEO, Aaron Snow, in August 2019. The article noted that CDS is aiming to digitize government services by 2025.
• From the end of November 2019 to the beginning of December 2019, there was moderate coverage regarding Minister Murray's re-appointment as Minister of Digital Government and her new mandate letter. iPolitics reported that Minister Murray was given responsibility for Shared Services Canada (Nov. 27 article) and for leading work on developing a replacement for the Phoenix pay system, as well as several other digital government initiatives (Dec. 13 article). In addition, the Hill Times discussed Minister Murray's role as Minister of Digital Government, citing an expert who suggested that continuing to champion "resilient digital government" could be her greatest legacy.
• Following the tabling of the supplementary estimates (A) for the 2019-20 fiscal year, iPolitics and the Global Government Forum reported that the federal government was committing $192.7 million to Shared Services Canada to support the "establishment and adoption of cloud services," as well as other digital government initiatives.
• An opinion piece in the December 16, 2019 edition of the Hill Times discussed the importance of digital government; another article discussed the findings of a new book on digital government, highlighting a "creeping culture of excessive silos, hierarchies, and risk aversion" in the federal bureaucracy (article 1, 2).

Social media analysis

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• @Irek_K: Excellent report about the state of the Tech Community and Tech Talent in Windsor-Essex - produced by our good friends @WEtechAlliance with support from @WorkforceWE- that contains important recommendations on building up the local #YQG tech scene. Details: http://bit.ly/2T2z9pK
  • 25 Total Interactions
• (Retweeted by Ziad Aboultaif with his added comment) @ziad_aboultaif: "The old approach of patching an aging system does not work anymore. The Liberals had four years to fix this and we are now at the breaking point. #cdnpoli" - @Nationalpost Federal IT systems at risk of 'critical failure,' Trudeau warned in memo https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/memo-to-trudeau-federal-it-systems-at-risk-of-critical-failure?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1580574215
  • 5 Total Interactions
• (Retweeted by Ziad Aboultaif) @TECHNATIONca: Thanks to @Ziad_Alboutaif, Conservative Shadow Minister for Digital Government, MP for Edmonton Manning for participating in yesterday evening's #CanadianReception as part of our annual #TechHillDay2020 event. We appreciate your insight into a more modern digital gov't
  • 6 Total Interactions
• @ziad_aboultaif: Proud to deliver remarks as Shadow Min. for Digital Gov't at @TECHNATIONca reception on the Hill yesterday. Also had a collaborative conversation earlier to discuss to the IT sectors' role in Canada's economy and how Government and the private sector can work together for Cdns.
  • 9 Total Interactions

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 14.2M from 4,244 mentions by 2,203 users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked on two notable instances:
  • Activity first peaked on March 18, 2019 when it was announced that Joyce Murray would become the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government. The sentiment appeared to be mixed, with some users happy about the announcement and others expressing doubt.
  • Activity peaked again on November 20, 2019, as many users expressed reservations about the announcement that Joyce Murray would remain Minister of Digital Government.
• The top five hashtags were #gcdigital (14.8%), #cdnpoli (12.7%), #gc (3.2%), #digital (3.0%), and #digitalgovernment (1.4%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. Twitter activity peaked on the same aforementioned dates and pertained to the announcements about Minister Murray.

Sample tweets

@ipoliticsca: Digital Government Minister Joyce Murray has been tasked with overseeing Shared Services Canada, the federal agency responsible for consolidated IT services that has drawn criticism for its slow progress in completing major projects #cdnpoli
Murray handed responsibility for Shared Services Canada - iPolitics
Digital Government Minister Joyce Murray has been tasked with overseeing Shared Services Canada, the federal agency responsible for consolidated IT services that has drawn criticism for its slow...
ipolitics.ca

@TheHillTimes: Opinion: Don't dismiss the dire need for digital government #cdnpoli https://bit.ly/2Z3kuME (subs)

@CanadianPM: Joyce Murray becomes Minister of Digital Government:
Minister of Digital Government
The Honourable Joyce Murray
pm.gc.ca

Artificial intelligence

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• There continues to be significant coverage on artificial intelligence (AI). The tone of coverage has become increasingly negative in the wake of revelations about the widespread use of Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology.
• The majority of coverage has focused on law enforcement's use of Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology. The news first broke in mid-February, and media coverage has closely tracked new developments:
  • On February 21, the federal Privacy Commissioner and three provincial counterparts announced that they would jointly investigate Clearview AI (National Post);
  • On February 27, the House Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee voted to investigate the use of facial-recognition technology (Toronto Star, National Post);
  • On February 28, the federal Privacy Commissioner announced that his office would investigate the RCMP's use of facial-recognition technology (Globe and Mail);
  • NDP MP Charlie Angus is calling on the federal government to impose a moratorium on the use of Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology, pending Parliament's and privacy regulators' investigations of the matter (Toronto Star);
  • CBC.ca noted that the RCMP had initially denied using facial-recognition technology, only to later acknowledge that it had been using Clearview AI's software for months.
  • In March, a small number of editorials and other opinion pieces called for increased government regulation in this area.
• Other articles on this topic pertained to the following:
  • The Department of Justice piloting the use of AI to predict the outcomes of labour and employment cases involving public servants (National Post);
  • Canada's potential to become a "niche leader" in AI (National Post);
  • Arguments against the creation of a department of AI (Policy Options IRPP);
  • Governance issues related to AI (Hill Times);
  • The use of AI in the federal public service (Hill Times); and
  • The Canadian Border Services' use of facial-recognition technology (Ottawa Citizen).

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• There has been significant coverage on artificial intelligence (AI). The tone of coverage has been mixed, with many stakeholders expressing concerns about the deployment of AI given the apparent lack of government regulation and others commending the federal government's ongoing efforts in this area.
• Coverage has focused on a broad range of topics, including:
  • Ethical and privacy concerns surrounding AI;
  • Canada's global leadership role in AI;
  • The use of AI in the federal public service;
  • The federal government's new Directive on Automated Decision-Making and Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) tool; and
  • Canada's first Digital Charter.
• With respect to the ethical and privacy concerns surrounding AI, stakeholders have been calling on the federal government to establish a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework to govern the development and use of AI, as well as stronger privacy laws.
• The Treasury Board introduced the Directive on Automated Decision-Making on AI Day (March 3). Articles noted that the directive aims to address the ethical and accountability challenges associated with AI.
• Techvibes Canada published an in-depth article on the directive. The article focuses on the Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA), an online survey that helps determine the impact of an AI tool and the level of human intervention required to mitigate risks.
• An article in the Hill Times, published in April 2019, discussed the increasing use of AI in the federal public service. Natalie McGee, the executive director of enterprise strategic planning at TBS, was interviewed for the piece. She suggested that AI will likely facilitate public servants' work rather than displacing them, by assisting with decision-making and freeing up time for public servants to focus on more important tasks.
• In May 2019, the Global Government Forum reported that Canada and France plan to launch an International Panel on Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) to facilitate international collaboration. A draft declaration for the new panel outlines a five-point plan, including a pledge to support the responsible development of AI "grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity and innovation."
• The federal government's Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) tool was formally unveiled at the Open Government Partnership Summit held in May. Ashley Casovan, one of the AIA project's leaders, told the Globe and Mail that the Mexican government has already adopted the AIA.
• An opinion piece in the Toronto Star, published in May 2019, criticized Canada's first Advisory Council on AI for its lack of diversity. The authors point out that the Council does not include a broad spectrum of civil society, including representatives of minorities, those with disabilities or those living in poverty – groups disproportionately at risk from bias and discrimination from AI systems.
• In September 2019, CAPE announced that they established a working group with members of the Translation Bureau's leadership team to ensure that the federal government "fully understands (AI's) limitations" for translation technology in particular.
• The Global Government Forum reported in October that the CIO Strategy Council published its national standard on the ethical design and use of AI.

Social media analysis

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 16.9M from 2,825 mentions by 1,908 users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked on two notable instances:
  • Activity first peaked on February 21, 2019 after multiple media outlets shared an article titled "Innovation Nation: How to boost adoption of AI – ethically," noting that harnessing the power of AI must be a top priority for Canada's leaders.
  • Activity peaked again on May 15 after the federal government announced the creation of the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence. Users either retweeted the announcement, received it positively, or noted that, while it was a step in the right direction, more work would be needed to ensure the development and use of AI in Canada.
• The top five hashtags were #ai (16.3%), #artificialintelligence (5.8%), #canada (4.3%), #artifical (2.6%), and #intelligence (2.4%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. As with English, most of the chatter surrounded the creation of the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence.

Sample tweets

@globeandmail: Canada lacks laws to tackle life-and-death problems posed by artificial intelligence, experts say http://dlvr.it/R50kNW @GlobeTechnology

@cbcnewsbc: Canada has for a second year denied visas to numerous researchers hoping to attend an artificial intelligence (AI) conference in Vancouver.
Canada denies numerous visas for AI conference attendees for second year | CBC News
Canada has for a second year denied visas to numerous researchers hoping to attend an artificial intelligence conference in Vancouver, but has reversed some of those denials after coming under...
cbc.ca

@theprovince: Artificial intelligence firms in B.C. seek more support from federal government http://bit.ly/357GmZF

@NavdeepSBains: Canada is leading the world in artificial intelligence. The 2019 AI Index Report shows that we have: the fastest growth in #AI hiring since 2015; an increase of women in AI research; more PhD graduates, and; many academia-industry partnerships. https://hai.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj10986/f/ai_index_2019_report.pdf

@BetaKit: Canada is minting a strong reputation as a global leader in artificial intelligence, with AI labs setting up shop in Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto. #GSER2019 #AI

@CIFAR_News: CIFAR is committed to building on Canada's unique position to advance machine learning research and responsible AI. Read more about @ISED_CA's new Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence:
Members of CIFAR community to advise Canada on AI
A new advisory council including several CIFAR fellows will advise government on how to build on Canada's strength in artificial intelligence in a way that reflects Canadian values
cifar.ca

@CIGIonline: RT @CIGIonline: Canada has announced the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence and the International Panel on AI. While both are st…
Canadian Government Calls for a "Human-centric" Approach to AI
Although a step in the right direction, federal AI initiatives may prioritize innovation over risk management.
cigionline.org

@NewsroomGC: Canada's new advisory council will guide the development of #AI that benefits all Canadians. http://ow.ly/OUrv101AD5t

@financialpost: Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence must be a top priority for Canada's leaders. https://business.financialpost.com/technology/innovation-nation-how-to-boost-adoption-of-ai-ethically?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=organic_tw&utm_campaign=innovation_promo&utm_content=ai_adoption#Echobox=1550769838

Open Government

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• There are no new articles on open government.

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• There has been minimal coverage on open government, most within the context of digital government.
• As part of its special series on digital government, Policy Options IRPP published an opinion piece that critiqued the notion that digital government would lead to more democratic government. The opinion piece contended that open government initiatives are "plagued by undeniable contradictions" and "undermined by other digital government initiatives that have competing objectives."

Social media analysis

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• (Retweeted by Irek Kusmierczyk) @liberal_party: Real progress. Over 1 million Canadians have been lifted out of poverty since 2015 – including 334,000 children and 73,000 seniors. Let's keep working together to move Canada forward
  • 1645 Total Interactions

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 1.4M from 515 mentions by 389 users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked on three notable instances:
  • Activity first peaked on May 24 when @OpenGovCan tweeted that Canada will be hosting the 2019 Open Government Partnership Global Summit. On May 25, then-CIO Alex Benay tweeted his gratitude for the Open Gov team responsible for setting up the event. His tweet was retweeted 19 times and liked 143 times.
  • Activity peaked again on July 9 when some users criticized the federal government's progress as it pertains to their ranking on the world's most open governments list.
  • Activity also peaked on September 5 when it was announced that Canada's Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) was now part of the OECD's Open Government Toolkit.
• The top five hashtags were #ogpcanada (18.5%), #gcdigital (7.9%), #opengov (7.3%), #cdnpoli (6.2%), and #trudeaumustgo (4.1%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. Much of the Twitter activity surrounded the 2019 Open Government Partnership Summit.

Sample tweets

@davidakin: New guide at Canada's Open Government Portal: Guide to Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) and Inclusive Open Government http://bit.ly/2I7gjbr

@CanadianPM: Next week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join citizens, governments, civil society organizations, and thought leaders from around the world at the #OGPCanada Summit. Get the details

@JusticeCanadaEN: #DYK: The Department of Justice Canada provides information and data through the Open Government Portal? This is part of our ongoing commitment to be #open and #transparent. Learn more here: http://ow.ly/3iwx50uoXta 1/2

@NewsroomGC: #OGPCanada: With Canada and Nathaniel Heller at the helm, the Open Government Partnership adopts a resolution to protect participation, advance inclusion, and create impact for digital democracy: http://ow.ly/jWfX101BXgB

@MrDeshaies: Canada's Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) is now part of the OECD's Open Government Toolkit! We're proud to share this open source tool. Bravo @supergovernance,
@GuillCharest @AshleyCasovan @CorriveauNoel! Thank you @CanadaOCDE, @ShadeWyrm
#GCDigital https://oecd-opsi.org/toolkits/algorithmic-impact-assessment/

@AlexBenay: There's too many names to mention on Twitter but the open Gov team at TBS has been pouring their hearts and souls into this global event ... can't wait for it!

@OpenGovCan: Starting May 29, Canada will host the in Ottawa for the 2019 Open Government Partnership Global Summit. Learn more at http://ow.ly/jG3O50uoYoj #OGPCanada

Digital charter

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• There are no new articles that specifically discuss the Digital Charter, though a small number of articles on other topics (government regulation of news media, data privacy, the digital economy, law enforcement's use of facial-recognition technology) contain brief references to the charter.

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• The launch of Canada's Digital Charter in May 2019 generated a high volume of articles and opinion pieces, but coverage has since tapered off.
• Articles focused on the federal government's move to regulate a range of digital issues, including hate speech and terrorist or extremist content, misinformation and privacy. However, articles noted that the charter falls short of a concrete regulatory roadmap. In addition, industry experts expressed concerns that legislation would be ineffective without the support of the U.S or E.U.

Social media analysis

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 28.4M from 8,028 mentions by 4,901 users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked on two notable instances:
  • Activity first peaked between May 16 and 18, 2019 after Prime Minister Trudeau announced the launch of the Digital Charter. Trudeau's tweet asserted that governments and social media platforms have a responsibility to act to restore trust in the digital world. His tweet received 355 retweets and 1.9K likes.
  • Activity peaked again on May 21 after Trudeau tweeted again about the launch of the Digital Charter and called for social media platforms to be held accountable for hate speech and disinformation. His tweet received 1.4K retweets and 6K likes.
• The top five hashtags were #christchurchcall (22.5%), #cdnpoli (15.5%), #trudeaumustgo (8.7%), #trudeauisdone (4.1%), and #ppc2019 (3.3%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. Most of the activity revolved around the launch of the Digital Charter and occurred over the same time span.

Sample tweets

@TheSpec: The federal government's new "digital charter" will emphasize Canadians' control over their own personal information and promises "strong enforcement" of transnational internet giants that break the law.

@cathmckenna: Hateful rhetoric festers online but has broken into the real world with deadly consequences. Whether it's misogynistic, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-black, or anti-Indigenous, we must always denounce this hatred. This week, Canada and others stepped up to stop this vile hate. Quote Tweet: @JustinTrudeau This week in Paris, Canada signed the #ChristchurchCall to Action, and announced we'll be launching a new Digital Charter. We're stepping up and working to restore trust in the digital world, remove hateful & violent content online, and hold social media platforms accountable.

@ezralevant: You don't care about terrorism. You gave a $10.5M gift to an Al Qaida terrorist named Omar Khadr and you said returning ISIS terrorists have a "powerful voice" we should listen to. You're a collaborator. You just want to demonize conservatives as "terrorists", and censor them. Quote Tweet: @JustinTrudeau This week in Paris, Canada signed the #ChristchurchCall to Action, and announced we'll be launching a new Digital Charter. We're stepping up and working to restore trust in the digital world, remove hateful & violent content online, and hold social media platforms accountable.

@JustinTrudeau: Our goal is to restore trust in the digital world. It's a huge task, but governments & social media platforms have a responsibility to act – we can't afford to do nothing. That's why Canada will be stepping up, and launching a new Digital Charter.

@JustinTrudeau: Social media platforms must be held accountable for the hate speech & disinformation we see online – and if they don't step up, there will be consequences. We launched Canada's new Digital Charter today to guide our decisions, learn more about it here: https://bit.ly/2YGiTuu

@RalphGoodale: Canada has adopted the #ChristchurchCall to Action – a global pledge to end terrorism and violent extremism online. We have more to do to address hate speech & disinformation – and our government is stepping up with a new Digital & Data Charter.

@CIGIonline: Canada has announced it's launching a new Digital Charter. As CIGI's @shull_aaron argued in August 2018, a new Charter is essential for the protection of privacy and personal data in the digital age: https://cigionline.org/articles/charter-and-human-rights-digital-age… #GCdigital #cdnlaw

@CBCPolitics: Canada introducing digital charter to combat hate speech, misinformation http://bit.ly/2Hmp15l #hw #cdnpoli

@mgeist: The @lawbytespod Podcast, Episode 13: Digital Charter or Chart: A Conversation With @TeresaScassa on Canada's New Digital Charter http://michaelgeist.ca/2019/05/lawbytes-podcast-episode-13/

@globebusiness: Canada's Digital Charter does not comfort Alphabet's smart-city critics http://dlvr.it/R5nDB3 @GlobeTechnology

@cbcradio: former Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie believes that the Liberal government's recently announced plans to protect social media users — including a digital charter — don't go far enough.
'They're exploiting a regulatory gap': Former RIM CEO calls for penalties on social media companies...
Former Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie told Cross Country Checkup on Sunday that Canada needs strong regulation against online misinformation to protect democracy.
cbc.ca

@CBCNL: Canada is getting a new "digital charter." Here's why that's important, and what it means for your privacy http://cbc.ca/1.5206836 #nlpoli

Digital identity

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• There are no new articles that specifically discuss digital identity. However, an opinion piece on the digital economy from former CIO Alex Benay (published in the Toronto Star) asserts that Canada should implement a national digital identity program and points to other countries – namely, Estonia and India – that have already implemented such programs.

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• There has been moderate coverage on digital identity. The majority of articles were factual in nature and simply reported on major developments in this area:
  • January 2019 – the CRA completed its tests of a secure online login platform called Verified.Me in 2018 and is planning to work with the Treasury Board to determine how the platform "aligns with the vision on digital identity management";
  • December – the Treasury Board and Shared Services Canada launched a project to test blockchain-based credentials as replacements for paper documents.
• There were some opinion pieces, however, that asserted that Canada was lagging behind in the global digital economy and called on the federal government to develop a digital ID system. Most notably, in October 2019, former CIO Alex Benay wrote an opinion piece for the Globe and Mail contending that Canada "has done very little to provide its citizens with a digital backbone" (i.e. a digital ID system). In addition, he reiterated his arguments in an interview with the Global Government Forum.

Social media analysis

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 1.0M from 520 mentions by 240 users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked on three notable instances:
  • Twitter activity first peaked on January 15, 2019 when Jane Philpott's new role as Minister of Digital Government was announced. On that day, there was also a tweet sharing an article pertaining to MPs studying how Canada can learn from a ‘digitally advanced' Estonia.
  • Activity wasn't notable again until June 26, 2019 when Minister Garneau and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands formalized a commitment to test technologies to allow paperless travel between the countries, called the Known Traveler Digital Identity project.
  • On October 4, 2019, Twitter activity peaked again after a few users shared an opinion piece by Alex Benay on the Globe and Mail about Canada needing to assert its digital identity.
• The top five hashtags were #digitalidentity (16.8%), #canada (13.3%), #digitaleconomy (4.4%), #sponsor (3.7%), and #digitalid (3.7%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. Twitter activity was only notable in early December, 2019 after Radio-Canada reported that the Quebec government plans on creating a digital identity for their citizens by the start of 2021. Many of the users shared the sentiment that a digital identity would simplify the interactions between citizens, businesses and the government, while a select few had reservations about how data would be protected.

Sample tweets

@TBS_Canada: Imagine accessing government services anywhere and on any device. The #GC is working with partners across to develop a trusted digital identity for quick and easy access to online services. #GCDigital #GCstories

@SmartblockLaw: Canadian privacy committee is examining the Estonian model on digital government services. "Representatives from Estonia told the committee last year that the best place ... to start would be providing a similar 'digital identity' to its citizens."
‘It's got us very intrigued': MPs to study how Canada can learn from ‘digitally advanced' Estonia
Wired Magazine even deemed the country 'E-stonia, the world's most digitally advanced society'
nationalpost.com

@MrRobBull: Congratulations to my former colleague @janephilpott on her new role as Minister of Digital Government - we'd love to host you at @Southlake_News to talk about digital health strategies and a common approach to digital identity!

@Transport_gc: Minister Garneau and Henk van der Zwan, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the #Netherlands to #Canada, formalized a commitment to @wef's Known Traveler Digital Identity project. The project will test technologies to allow paperless #travel between the two countries!

@RadioCanadaInfo: [translation] The Government of Quebec plans to create a digital identity for the province's citizens by early 2021, Radio-Canada has learned.
A digital identity for Quebecers by 2021
Your driver's license and health insurance card may soon be a thing of the past.

@ericcaire: [translation] Because no compromise can be made with the personal data of Quebecers, the creation of this digital identity is essential. We are working toward a first deployment of the solution in early 2021. #TransfoNumQc #PolQc

Digital rights / data privacy

News coverage

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• Data privacy continues to be a predominant recurring theme. The tone of coverage has been negative, especially in the wake of revelations about the widespread use of Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology.
• Coverage has primarily focused on the following:
  • The development of privacy and security regulations for "open banking";
  • The federal Privacy Commissioner's decision to seek a declaration from the Federal Court that Facebook contravened Canadian privacy laws;
  • Government privacy breaches;
  • The lack of regulations governing law enforcement's use of facial-recognition technology and privacy and ethical concerns (including concerns about racial bias) surrounding its usage;
• With respect to government privacy breaches, coverage centred on the following:
  • On Feb. 14, CBC.ca reported that federal departments and agencies mishandled the personal information of 144,000 Canadians over the past two years; and
  • On Feb. 18, CBC.ca and other news outlets reported that Public Services and Procurement Canada mistakenly shared the personal information of more than 69,000 public servants impacted by the Phoenix pay system. Both PSAC and PIPSC issued critical statements on the incident.

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Digital rights, particularly the right to privacy, was a predominant recurring theme during the past year. This section highlights articles that specifically discussed digital rights or privacy, but it should be noted that both were mentioned in articles that discussed the topics reported on in the above sections.
• In general, the tone of coverage has been negative/critical.
• With respect to privacy, coverage has primarily focused on the following:
  • Canada's privacy legislation, which is perceived as outdated and ineffective;
  • The federal government's proposed reforms to privacy legislation, which are perceived as insufficient;
  • The lack of laws regulating political parties' collection of voter data;
  • The need to impose stricter regulations on "Big Tech";
  • Major privacy violations, including the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal and data breaches at Equifax, Desjardins and Capital One.
• The Hill Times reported that the federal Privacy Commissioner, Daniel Therrien, was invited to testify before the House Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee on January 31, as part of its study into the "privacy of digital government services." Mr. Therrien urged the federal government to adopt an "incremental" approach to digitizing Canadians' access to government services and to ensure safeguards against data breaches are in place, citing what happened with the Phoenix pay system.
• In May 2019, tech giants and industry experts testified before the International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy, generating a high volume of articles and opinion pieces. Articles noted that the committee discussed the privacy practices of large tech companies and the possibility of regulating AI.
• The Globe and Mail reported in November 2019 that the federal government will prioritize strengthening Canada's privacy laws and outlined its ongoing work on this file, including plans to implement Canada's first Digital Charter and to make major changes to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). The article notes that prominent MPs believe that the proposed reforms are insufficient.
• Mr. Therrien published his annual report, Privacy Law Reform – A Pathway to Respecting Rights and Restoring Trust in Government and the Digital Economy, on December 10, 2019 generating a high volume of articles. The report calls for privacy to be enshrined as a human right, stronger laws regulating data collection and greater oversight and enforcement powers for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
• Most recently, former CIO Alex Benay wrote an opinion piece for the Globe and Mail asserting that "human rights should include digital rights" and that such rights should be enshrined in law. He highlights two "basic" rights in particular: equal connectivity and protection of data ownership.

Social media analysis: Digital rights

New for Feb. 1, 2020 – March 6, 2020:

• (Retweeted by Kelly Block) @AndrewScheer: Justin Trudeau is trying to regulate everything you do online and block websites he doesn't want you to see. Canada's Conservatives are fighting back, we won't let this happen. https://www.facebook.com/AndrewScheerMP/videos/920363768395261/
• 1924 Total Interactions

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 415.3K from 114 mentions by 86 users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity peaked on two notable instances:
  • Activity first peaked between April 5 and 12, 2019 after an organization called Mazu Family – which aims to help “steward healthy digital citizens and create a new paradigm for social media” – petitioned Canadians and the federal government to implement a policy on children's digital rights and privacy.
  • Activity peaked again slightly on May 15 after @NewsroomGC announced the creation of the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence. Their tweet was retweeted and liked 31 times respectively. A small number of users shared their positive sentiment with the makeup of the council but expressed that they would have liked to see some digital rights and civil liberties groups represented.
• The top five hashtags were #canada (13.2%), #cdnpoli (7.9%), #loveamillion (5.3%), #digitalrights (3.9%), and #cybersafety (3.9%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. A small amount of Twitter activity occurred on October 10, 2019 and revolved around the creation of a Digital Charter to ensure that Canadians could have control of their data.

Sample tweets

@ipoliticsca: Legislators from Canada and several other countries approved a new declaration on digital rights Tuesday. @CharliePinkerto has the details: http://ow.ly/pJtm50urOfU #cdnpoli

@ipoliticsca: Legislators from Canada and several other countries approved a new declaration on digital rights today in Ottawa that promised to protect citizens' privacy rights and personal data, and to hold social media giants accountable #cdnpoli #ParlCA

@iPhoneinCanada: Digital Rights Advocates Skeptical of Trudeau's Liberal Government's Pledge to Reduce Wireless Bills https://iphoneincanada.ca/news/trudeau-digital-rights/

@Mazu_Family: Thanks @KelownaNow for this article, bringing awareness to the #LoveAMillion campaign & our gov petition for Children's Digital Rights & Safety! Have you signed the petition yet? Let's hit 500 signatures to get this to the House of Commons: http://bit.ly/digitalguardian #KelownaNews

@NewsroomGC: Canada's new advisory council will guide the development of #AI that benefits all Canadians. http://ow.ly/OUrv101AD5t

Social media analysis: Data privacy

Jan. – Dec. 2019:

• Total Twitter reach was 75.3M from 20.4K mentions by 14.3K users from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.
• Twitter activity most notably peaked on April 25, 2019 after the federal government vowed to take Facebook to court over privacy. Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner determined that Facebook violated Canada's privacy laws in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
• The top five hashtags were #privacy (11.4%), #cdnpoli (9.6%), #canada (4.7%), #data (1.9%), and #cpc (1.4%).
• There was significantly less coverage in French that met the search terms. Most of the activity revolved around the federal government vowing to take on Facebook to court over privacy, with some activity taking place on July 8, 2019 when the Quebec and Canadian Privacy Commissioners opened investigations into the Desjardins data breach.

Sample tweets

@ipoliticsca: The MP at the helm of the last Parliament's Facebook-centred investigation hopes the government keeps examining digital privacy, data rights & how they relate to the democratic process, even though there is no more democratic institutions minister #cdnpoli
Last Parliament's leader of Facebook investigation hopes probe goes on despite cabinet shakeup -...
The Conservative MP who was at the helm of the last Parliament's Facebook-centred investigation hopes the government keeps examining digital privacy, data rights and how they relate to the democratic...
ipolitics.ca

@cbcradio: Federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien can't do much about the findings that AggregateIQ broke Canada's privacy laws because unlike in the U.S. and the EU, where officials can levy fines, Therrien can only make recommendations.
Two privacy commissioners found AggregateIQ broke privacy laws — but they can't do much about it |...
B.C. and Canada's privacy commissioners say they're frustrated they couldn't fine AggregateIQ after the Canadian political ad company tied to Cambridge Analytica broke Canada's privacy laws.
cbc.ca

@davidakin: @PrivacyPrivee warns: "While Canada used to be a leader in privacy protection, the world is now passing us by."

@MichelleRempel: "Our own information is being weaponized against us with military efficiency." A damning report just came out on Trudeau's government, that affects YOU. Here's what we're going to do about it. https://mprempel.ca/news/f/mp-rempel-issues-statement-on-privacy-commissioner%E2%80%99s-report

@financialpost: Canada's AggregateIQ broke privacy law in Cambridge Analytica scandal, probe finds https://business.financialpost.com/technology/canadas-aggregateiq-broke-privacy-law-in-cambridge-analytica-scandal-probe-find?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1574799741

@LeDevoir: [translation] Quebec's and Canada's Privacy Commissioners have opened investigations on personal information leaks at the Desjardins Group.
Quebec's and Canada's Privacy Commissioners are investigating the Desjardins Group
The organisations want to determine if privacy laws were respected.
ledevoir.com