Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, talks to Stephen Wentzell.

Program Title: What to do about Facebook?
Description: Critics argue that the re-naming is a just distraction from the controversies Facebook has found itself in. Not the least of which are centered in Canada. In a press conference Monday, Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay, called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to implement a multi-faceted plan to regulate social media giants like Facebook. The social media company also owns global social media platforms Instagram and WhatsApp.

The Canadian who arguably is most well versed in the policy and regulation questions concerning Facebook is Dr. Michael Geist. Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He’s also the author of the 2015 book Law, Privacy, and Surveillance in Canada in the Post-Snowden Era.

National politics reporter Stephen Wentzell spoke to Michael Geist this week for rabble.ca as part of his report on Facebook regulation in Canada.   Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He’s also the author of the 2015 book Law, Privacy, and Surveillance in Canada in the Post-Snowden Era.

And a rundown of other stories on rabble.ca this week:

In Case You Missed It:

Joyce Nelson writes that both Amazon and Google are planning to expand data centres in Montreal and Toronto. But, she says, if the tech giants don’t renounce militarism and cancel Israel’s Project Nimbus, they may find significant pushback in both of those cities.  Project Nimbus is a cloud-based technology that could provide AI-assisted surveillance tools to the Israeli military and government.

Still on tech, Penney Kome writes about truck “platooning” - one truck driver leading a conga line of autonomous vehicles along Canada’s highways. If that sounds like a train on asphalt, that’s pretty much the idea. But, perhaps rail is more efficient, and maybe only the biggest trucking companies will be able to afford the new cyberconga tech.

Now to Indigenous & political actions. Brent Patterson told us that as carbon emissions increase, Indigenous land defenders opposed to fossil fuel megaprojects have continued to be criminalized despite the commitments made at the COP21 summit in Paris in December 2015. He calls on Trudeau to end the criminalization of frontline land defenders and water protectors opposed to the extractive megaprojects that are accelerating the climate crisis.

And finally,  David Suzuki writes that we should, literally, leave well enough alone and let tree debris to stay on your lawn. Saves you trouble and, he says, helps out pollinators like butterflies whose chrysalises hide out in the duff and tree debris. Who knew? 

Host(s): Wayne MacPhail (filling in for Chelsea Nash)
Featured Speakers/Guests: Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He’s also the author of the 2015 book Law, Privacy, and Surveillance in Canada in the Post-Snowden Era.

Credits: Chelsea Nash - rabble.ca editor
Wayne MacPhail - rabble podcast advisor and fill in host
Victoria Fenner - rabble.ca podcast executive producer
Kim Elliott - rabble.ca publisher
Stephen Wentzell - rabble.ca national reporter

Comments: Note: time on display is incorrect. The correct time is 29:15 -- - ends with music at 27:00