Canada has introduced a new bill aimed at combating internet abuse by imposing harsh penalties for hate crimes, including life in prison for encouraging genocide.
The proposed Online Harms Act mandates social media platforms to remove content that sexualises children within 24 hours. Social media giants, live streaming platforms, and websites with "user-uploaded adult content" would be subject to the regulation.
The measure still needs to be voted on by the Canadian Parliament. It identifies seven categories of dangerous content that providers must delete from their websites. Banned content includes posts that harass children or encourage self-harm.
The proposed Act would establish a "Digital Safety Commission of Canada" to govern internet platforms. The law must first be reviewed by a parliamentary committee and the Senate, both of which may propose changes to the final document.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government also intends to modify the criminal code to strengthen hate crime punishments, including adding a new offence punishable by up to life in prison for individuals found guilty of inciting genocide.
The Canadian Human Rights Act would also be updated to identify hate speech as discrimination and allow the Human Rights Tribunal to oversee hate speech cases. During the 2021 election, the ruling Liberal Party promised to implement an online safety bill within 100 days after being re-elected.
Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and France, have recently passed new laws aimed at combating online hate content.
The new legislation comes amid tensions between the Canadian government and social media giants over a rule requiring corporations to pay Canadian news publishers for their content.
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Canada: Introduction of new bill aimed at combating online harms
