Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, has made it clear that the time for unpunished hate speech online is officially over, the same as is the propagation of fake news. The minister spoke frankly about his thoughts about both issues while having announced a new Digital Charter in Canada, which is targeted to protect online users of news pages and social media platforms. Actually, according to the Prime Minister, the document will particularly concern fake news and hate speech. So, the holders of social media accounts and website administrators will henceforth be brought to task about the presence of either in their domains.
Moreover, Trudeau warned about considerable financial consequences if social media platforms fail to resist fake news and hate speech. He also mentioned that online media and news platforms were not only short selling their users, but they were also failing Canadian citizens in general.
Focus On Lies and Hate Speech
The charter is concentrated on several essential personal, social and political elements. The document includes ten principles. The three final points are focused on the spreading of disinformation and hate speech. Under the charter, the government will protect freedom of expression and defend Canadian residents against the fake information and online threats, with a special emphasis on the integrity of the country’s elections and its democratic institutions.
Those who disregard its provisions will have to pay significant penalties. Due to the charter, in future Canadian players will be able to rely on the fact that online platforms will not incite or provide criminal content, hate, extremism or violence.
Strengthening Canada’s Democracy
The launch of the charter was preceded by the Christchurch Call in Canada after March’s terrorist attacks in New Zealand. The Call signed the following countries: Germany, France, Japan, the UK, India, Ireland, Jordan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Indonesia, etc. Several tech-corporations also signed up the document, particularly Google, Twitter, Amazon, YouTube, Microsoft, Facebook, Qwant and Daily Motion.
Other principles provided for by the Digital Charter include Safety and Security, Control and Consent, A Level Playing Field, Open and Modern Digital Government, Universal Access and Strong Democracy.
