Announcing the Second Year of the Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression
Bringing transparency and accountability into online media ecosystems
This week, the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy launched its second year of the Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression in partnership with the Public Policy Forum. The three-year initiative aims to respond to the democratic risks of digital technologies through three segments, a Commission of nine Canadians co-chaired by former Supreme Court Justice, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin and Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy, a representative national Citizen’s Assembly led by MASSLBP, and an independent research program led by the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University.
In 2021-22, nine Commissioners will centrally deliberate on how to make online platforms more transparent and accountable.
2021-22 Commissioners
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, PC, CC, Commission Co-Chair
Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University, Commission Co-Chair
Rick Anderson, Principal, Earnscliffe Strategy Group
Wendy Chun, Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, Simon Fraser University
Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal, Massey College, Full Professor, Faculty of Law (Common Law) University of Ottawa, Distinguished Visitor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Amira Elghawaby, Director of Programming and Outreach, Canadian Race Relations Foundation
Merelda Fiddler-Potter, Vanier Scholar and PhD. Candidate, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
Philip N. Howard, Director, Programme on Democracy and Technology and Professor of Internet Studies, Balliol College, University of Oxford
Vivek Krishnamurthy, Samuelson-Glushko Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa
A core element of this work includes consulting with a broad representation of the Canadian public every year through a citizen’s assembly of 42 diverse members from every province and territory. Organized by MASSLBP, the Citizens’ Assembly works with independent facilitators to learn about this policy issue. This year, they will hear from experts, stakeholders, and other citizens as they consider whether there should be legal penalties or other consequences for individuals and organizations that knowingly spread disinformation online with the intent to cause harm.
Both the Citizens’ Assembly and the Commission will undertake an intensive program of study informed by expert testimonies and an independent research program led by the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy. These virtual learning sessions will include expert testimonies on data access, financial disclosure, differential harms, legal mechanisms, risk and impact mechanisms, and finally, international policy options to render digital technologies more transparent and accountable.
Expert Testimonies
DATA ACCESS: What data should be shared and with whom?Rebekah Tromble, Director of the Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics, Associate Professor School of Media & Public Affairs, George Washington University
J. Nathan Matias, Assistant Professor, Cornell University Department of Communication and Founder of the Citizens and Technology Lab
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Should we mandate financial disclosure about advertising revenue and if so, what are the challenges in doing so?Laura Edelson, Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Ethan Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Communication, and Information at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Founder of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure
Catherine Armitage, Policy Advisor, AWO Agency
DIFFERENTIAL HARMS: How can we make digital technology more transparent about its impact on, and accountability to historically marginalized groups?Seeta Peña Gangadharan, Associate Professor at the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics (LSE)
Maria Ressa, Journalist, Executive Editor, & CEO, Rappler
Laura Murphy, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Leader, Policy Strategist
LEGAL MECHANISMS: Should online actors be liable and what legal mechanisms can be used?Kate Klonick, Assistant Professor of Law, St. John’s University Law School and Affiliate Fellow, Information Society Project, Yale Law School
Ravi Naik, Legal Director, AWO Agency
Emily Laidlaw, Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law and Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law
MEASURING RISK AND IMPACT: How can regulators and publics determine the risks, harms and impacts of algorithmic decision-making systems?Andrew Strait, Associate Director, Ada Lovelace Institute
Divij Joshi, Lawyer and Legal Researcher, AI Now Insitute
Jennifer Wemigwans, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
INTERNATIONAL POLICY OPTIONSMarietje Schaake, International Policy Director, Stanford Cyber Policy Center
Meetali Jain, Deputy Director, Reset.tech
Mark Scott, Chief Technology Correspondent, POLITICO
