Government of Canada introduces Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act

Media release from Canadian Heritage:

The Bill would create stronger online protection for children and better safeguard everyone in Canada from online hate and other types of harmful content. The Bill sets out a new vision for safer and more inclusive online participation. It would hold online platforms, including livestreaming and adult content services, accountable for the design choices made that lead to the dissemination and amplification of harmful content on their platforms and ensure that platforms are employing mitigation strategies that reduce a user’s exposure to harmful content.

The bill includes:

• Creating and implementing a new legislative and regulatory framework through a new Online Harms Act.

• Requiring that services provide clear and accessible ways to flag harmful content and block users, implement safety measures tailored for children and implement other measures to reduce exposure to seven categories of harmful content

• Creating stronger laws to help protect all people in Canada from hatred, on and offline

• Establishing a new Digital Safety Commission to oversee and enforce the Online Harms Act’s regulatory framework and a new Digital Safety Ombudsperson