Canada's justice minister tables sweeping bill to tackle harmful online content
CTV
Justice Minister Arif Virani has just tabled a long-awaited piece of legislation proposing sweeping new measures and requirements for platforms aimed at combating harmful online content.
In an effort address what they see as the rising risk of harmful online content, the federal government has unveiled a new bill proposing a sweeping suite of new requirements for platforms and the creation of a new digital safety oversight body.
Justice Minister Arif Virani tabled the long-awaited piece of legislation on Monday.
Bill C-63, as it has been named, focuses on seven categories of harmful content:
Bill C-63 targets social media services, live-streaming services and "user-uploaded adult content services." These entities are being put under the umbrella term of "online services."
The aim of this legislation, according to government officials who provided a briefing on the contents of the nearly 90-page bill, is twofold: reducing users' exposure to harmful content; and making online services accountable for and transparent about how they handle harmful material on their platforms.
While the Liberals say they'll be centring their new rules on platforms Canadians use the most, specifically which sites qualify will depend on if they meet the threshold of users the government intends to set out in regulations, once the bill passes.
Over time, additional online services could be added to the list and be subject to these new rules, the government says, if they begin to pose "a significant risk of harm."
