Editorial: As written, Online Harms Act will do more harm than good

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The wording of the bill is broad enough that it could easily be aimed at anyone who posts opinions online.

The federal government has introduced an Online Harms Act to combat child ­pornography and hate speech.The stated intent is to hold accountable internet sites that traffic in this kind of material. However, the wording of the bill is broad enough that it could easily be aimed at anyone who posts opinions online.A Digital Safety Commission is to be set up, with a mandate to administer and enforce the act.

Then a Digital Safety Office of Canada will be established to support the new commission and the new ombudsperson in fulfilment of their duties. How they are to be held separate from mere “disdain” is anyone’s guess, though under this act, perhaps a Digital Safety Commissioner will decide. That is to say, it’s not necessary for anyone to be convicted of a hate crime, that such a crime has actually been ­committed. It is sufficient that some “person” fears they may do so at a future point.

Perhaps the drafters hoped the sheer length of the bill would defend it against being read. At more than 30,000 words, it’s more than twice as long as Canada’s founding document, the Constitution Act of 1867.

 

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