And the Award Goes to ..
Hi everyone, With the Oscars this past Sunday I thought it would be interesting to see what the TV ratings were for such a major awards show. It turns out that no matter how big the event – streaming seems to be taking over the TV industry and its nothing different from what we have […]
Runnymede Society Debate: Is Net Neutrality a Threat to Innovation?
Am honoured to have been asked to moderate this debate on Net Neutrality tomorrow in Room 104 of the Allard School of Law. The speakers will be Tom Struble, Counsel at R Street in Institute in Washington, DC, and Ian Bell, internet entrepreneur. Hope to see you there. Jon
Question of the Week (Classes 8 + 9): Should the rules regarding Canadian Content contained in the Broadcasting Act & Regulations continue?
Canadian Content regulation has for decades been a prime focus in any debate about our communications system. In the digital media age, the issue is still present but sometimes feels like it is covered up by the overwhelming changes and innovations bred through the mostly unregulated and seemingly more urgent issues of social media today. […]
Social Media to Combat Gun Violence?
Hi everyone, With the latest Florida mass shooting I, like most of you, have witnessed the outcry and response to this act of gun violence on social media. My post today is based on the following article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/21/florida-students-have-turned-social-media-into-a-weapon-for-good The article states that the Florida students have turned social media into a weapon for good. They are […]
Net Activism
Net Activism For our upcoming presentation, Laura and I are going to address the topic of net activism in its various forms. We will define the term, explore some of the main techniques of net activism, the reactions to these techniques, and possible legal responses to the emergence of various net activism movements. Please watch […]
Question of the Week (Class 7) & Class 7 Poll: John Perry Barlow and “to regulate or not to regulate” social media?
Let me start this in a perhaps unusual place. John Perry Barlow passed away on February 7 2017 at the age of 70. He was many things and could easily be nominated for any list of the most interesting, charismatic, and thoughtful people in recent memory. He possessed instant street cred for having been a […]
Could AI Be the Future of Fake News and Product Reviews?
The following article aligns with our discussion of using AI technology to create deep fakes. However, this article identifies an experiment conducted by a group of University of Chicago researchers. The experiment involves using computer algorithms to create fake Yelp restaurant evaluations. The researchers used a machine-learning technique known as deep learning to analyze letter and […]
Trudeau threatens Facebook with regulations over fake news problem
This article was interesting in light of what we’ve been discussing in class: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/02/08/trudeau-to-facebook-fix-your-fake-news-problem-or-else.html The article is just quoting “a source with knowledge” of some conversation between Trudeau and Sheryl Sandberg, and then goes on to say that neither Facebook or the PM’s office would comment on this, but putting aside the irony of an […]
Facebook and Google Tighten Grip Over US Digital Ad Market
In response to a recent post by Stephanie concerning findings on mobile carriers stifling certain apps and content, I am posting an article I recently read concerning Facebook and Google’s dominance on Ads. More often than not one will be searching something on googling and on Facebook an advertisement referring to the searched item will […]
