How a Liberal majority could hurt Canada’s digital sovereignty - The Hill Times With their newfound majority, the Liberals could take control of committees, giving them final say over the extent of Bill C-22’s sweeping new surveillance powers.

My new op-ed in the @hilltimes.com: Bill C-22 still raises serious concerns for #encryption and Canada’s cyber defences. The government should use its majority to fix the bill, not rush it through. www.hilltimes.com/2026/04/23/h...

Great to see Minister @evansolomon.bsky.social advancing AI adoption in the federal public service, and doing it with a cool Canadian company like @cohere.com

Carney’s majority could let them fast-track Bill C-22 despite warnings it may create backdoors and weaken encryption. Now they need to prove Canadians can trust their majority by fixing the bill, not rushing it through.

7/ Link to the full report here: www.esafety.gov.au/sites/defaul...

My post on the biggest privacy/security risk in Bill C-22: lawful access rules mandating expansive surveillance-capability requirements for digital providers. Orders must be kept secret with little clarity on safeguards against systemic vulnerabilities.
bsky.app/profile/mgei...

6/ Up to this point, folks have said it's too early to make any claims about the effectiveness of Australia's ban. The data should give policy-makers new perspective as they consider bans in different places around the world (including Canada).

5/ Given these limits, a better approach may be a rights-respecting framework that promotes safer online spaces for young people – rather than pushing them off platforms they can just find their way back onto.

4/ 0% surprising: the data shows kids are finding ways around the rules. Common workarounds include make-up tricks or a borrowed ID to get past the age gate (23.3%), finding a way to reopen an account after deactivation (10.3%), or using a VPN (6.7%).

3/ Among kids who already had accounts with specific platforms before the ban, roughly 7 in 10 kept them on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. So the policy is struggling with existing users.

2/ So far, the ban has produced only a partial reduction in account ownership for folks under 16, dropping from 49.7% to 31.3%. That means 1 in 3 young people are still on age-restricted platforms.

1/ Three months into Australia’s social media ban, the eSafety Commissioner has released new data that sheds light on the effectiveness of the policy. www.esafety.gov.au/research/und...

Empowering Canadian Families: New Teen Wellbeing Tools on YouTube As a physician and parent, I know that guiding teens through the digital world is a top priority for families. YouTube is where teens come to watch what they love—whethe…

Great to see YouTube rolling out new safety features for kids and families in Canada 🇨🇦 including time limits for short-form content and new priorities for content recommendation. Details here: blog.google/intl/en-ca/c...

Looking past the headlines, @angusreidinstitute.bsky.social data tells a more complicated story on social media bans: most people say parents – not governments – should decide how teens use social media. angusreid.org/social-media...

Government says it will not prorogue Parliament if Liberals sweep April 13 by-elections Move would give the party control of House of Commons committees, and allow it to push through legislation more easily

If the Liberals sweep the April 13 by-elections, they’ll have the magic number of seats needed to take control of committees and push bills through quickly www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

Most Canadians support social media ban for kids under 16: poll A new poll says most Canadians support banning social media for anyone under the age of 16.

As a parent myself I understand the anxiety here. But bans won't make the internet safer for kids, they actually give platforms a free pass. www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...

Canada’s Lawful Access Act is a backdoor by another name Every government agency requesting information on our data should be required to get judicial authorization.

Great piece on how Bill C-22 – as drafted – threatens encryption and opens the door to unauthorized foreign surveillance. www.thespec.com/opinion/cont...

Ottawans should be concerned about privacy, police access in federal lawful access bill: lawyer Bill C-22, the lawful access bill, proposes limited unwarranted and broader warranted powers to authorities.

"The provisions are ultimately going to be struck down, and that doesn’t help law enforcement or privacy. I mean, that really doesn’t help anyone." @mgeist.bsky.social on Bill C-22. ottawacitizen.com/news/bill-c-...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 263: The Lawful Access Act Roundtable With David Fraser and Robert Diab - Michael Geist Lawful access is back. The decades-long battle has entered a new phase with the introduction of Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act. This bill follows last spring’s attempt to bury lawful access provisio...

Lawful access is back with concerns on access to subscriber information, metadata retention, and network surveillance. Two of Canada’s leading experts - @privacylawyer.ca and @robertdiab.bsky.social - join Law Bytes podcast for a roundtable discussion on the bill.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/03/the-...

John Carpay: Liberals have Canada leading the West in state surveillance New bills would allow the government to intrude on privacy and secretly boot individuals from the internet if thought to be a 'threat'

Bill C-22 is getting the spotlight on surveillance but it’s not the only bill expanding government power. nationalpost.com/opinion/john...

New lawful access bill still lacking The federal government has tabled Bill C-22, a second attempt at legislation, but observers say it only fixes a few of the problems that plagued C-2, tabled last year

Great piece from CBA National Magazine on Bill C-22 and its implications for telecom and tech companies. Flags serious concerns about mandated surveillance infrastructure for law enforcement access. Worth a read👇 nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...

Lawful access bill could create vulnerabilities for hackers, experts warn Foreign intelligence services with malevolent intent could also exploit intercept infrastructure, tech and legal specialists say

Experts warn the government’s new lawful access bill could weaken encryption and open the door to unauthorized surveillance of Canadians. www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

Still digesting the full implications of the legislation, but I’ll be working to identify ways the government can strengthen it to better protect Canadians’ privacy and security.

A Tale of Two Bills: Lawful Access Returns With Changes to Warrantless Access But Dangerous Backdoor Surveillance Risks Remain - Michael Geist The decades-long battle over lawful access entered a new phase yesterday with the introduction of Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act. This bill follows the attempt last spring to bury lawful access prov...

I agree with @mgeist.bsky.social. As I said yesterday, Minister Anandasangaree deserves credit for improving the access to data provisions in Part 1 of Bill C-22. But the revised Part 2 could still enable encryption backdoors and unauthorized spying. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/03/a-ta...

I agree with Michael's assessment here: Part 1 of C-22 is much improved, but Part 2 (the Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act) is deeply, deeply problematic and Canadians should be very concerned.

Supriya Dwivedi: Mark Carney is thinking of banning kids from social media. This is why it’s a terrible idea Age verification sounds good in theory but is a privacy nightmare.

Social media bans and app store age checks won’t protect kids online. This piece explains why they’re the wrong solution.
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Government Surveillance Remains a Concern in Canada’s Lawful Access Measure: - Chamber of Progress Revised Bill Enables Unauthorized Access and Encryption Backdoors

“This revised bill falls short of protecting Canadians from weakened encryption and unauthorized spying,” - @joshtabish.bsky.social

Read our full statement here: progresschamber.org/news/governm...

Government Surveillance Remains a Concern in Canada’s Lawful Access Measure: - Chamber of Progress Revised Bill Enables Unauthorized Access and Encryption Backdoors

My statement for @progresschamber.org on the government’s revised lawful access package, Bill C-22 progresschamber.org/news/governm...

Canada's Public Safety Minister released minor revisions to the government’s controversial lawful access measures today.

Last year’s bill was shelved after drawing heavy pushback from privacy groups and the public. (1/4)

NEW: The Public Safety Minister’s revamped lawful access bill is on the notice paper for tomorrow www.ourcommons.ca/documentview...

Your regular reminder that Meta wants Apple & Google to verify ages at app stores – a move that shifts responsibility away from platforms (that actually deliver content and experiences) and creates serious privacy and security risks in the process.