Canada Asks Citizens, Stakeholders for Input on New Online Content Regulation

Canada Asks Citizens, Stakeholders for Input on New Online Content Regulation

OTTAWA — The Canadian government is inviting “stakeholders and Canadians” to submit comments regarding a current proposal to regulate online content, which was prompted by the recent parliamentary hearings targeting Pornhub and its parent company, MindGeek.

The call for comments — which includes an invitation to both international “stakeholders” (including religiously motivated anti-porn activist organizations like NCOSE and Exodus Cry) and all Canadian citizens — starts with a statement that although “social media platforms and other online communications services play a vital and important role in Canada’s society and economy,” they can also “be abused and used to incite hate, promote violence and extremism or for other illegal activity.”

“The Government of Canada is committed to taking meaningful action to combat hate speech and other kinds of harmful content online, including child sexual exploitation content, terrorist content, content that incites violence, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images,” the call for comments continues.

“The Government is asking for written submissions from Canadians on its proposed approach to make social media platforms and other online communications services more accountable and more transparent when it comes to combating harmful content online.”

The current proposal for “a new legislative and regulatory framework” includes creating new government-imposed content moderation rules for “how social media platforms and other online services must address harmful content," managed by a new politically-appointed bureaucracy.

Canadians and “stakeholders” can now give their opinion on “which entities would be subject to the new rules; what types of harmful content would be regulated; new rules and obligations for regulated entities; and two new regulatory bodies and an Advisory Board to administer and oversee the new framework and enforce its rules and obligations.”

Opening the Door to Blanket Censorship

The very broad mention of “types of harmful content” is fleshed out by a statement in the proposal documents’ “Technical Paper,” instructing commenters that ”the concept of non-consensual sharing of intimate images should consider criminal law offenses in this area set out in the Criminal Code, in a manner adapted to the regulatory context, with the intent to capture the communication of an intimate image of a person that the person depicted in the image or video did not give their consent to distributing, or for which it is not possible to assess if a consent to the distribution was given by the person depicted in the image or video.”

That last clause (“for which it is not possible to assess if a consent to the distribution was given by the person depicted in the image or video”) opens the door to a blanket ban of all adult material based on the vague notion of “what is possible to assess” about consent by merely viewing a video.

Groups like NCOSE and Exodus Cry, and anti-porn activists like Laila Mickelwait (who, as XBIZ has reported, was invited earlier this year to testify before the Canadian Parliament) have long argued that since neither age nor consent can be verified by merely watching a video or image, all sexual content online should be subject to takedowns. Long-standing First Amendment and free speech arguments, they allege, are not applicable because of vague anti-“human trafficking” carveouts, including FOSTA-SESTA.

The Canadian Government is inviting stakeholders and Canadians who wish to participate in the discussion to submit comments by email to pch.icn-dci.pch@canada.ca.

The comment-gathering campaign is managed by the Digital Citizen Initiative of the Department of Canadian Heritage, which can also be contacted at (819) 997-0055, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (PDT).

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Dr. Charlotte Gaydos Joins ProDx Health Advisory Board

Dr. Charlotte Gaydos has joined the Advisory Board of ProDx Health.

Aylo Fined $5 Million as FTC, Utah Settle Safety Practices Complaint

The Federal Trade Commission and the state of Utah on Wednesday settled a complaint against Aylo, requiring the company to pay a $5 million penalty and implement measures to prevent illegal content from appearing on its sites.

New AI Companion Platform 'Pornstar.love' Launches

Pornstar.love, a new AI companion platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support, Stripchat to Host 'Navigating Thoughts of Suicide' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Stripchat are hosting a free online support group to help performers deal with suicidal ideation.

Plaiir Names Cade Maddox as Lead of Creator Relations

Networking platform Plaiir has appointed Cade Maddox as its new lead of creator relations.

Go.cam Launches 'One-Line Integration' Verification Solution

Go.cam has introduced a one-line code integration for age verification.

XBIZ Amsterdam to Debut 'Behind the Lens' Screening Series

XBIZ is pleased to announce the debut of “Behind the Lens,” a new screening series presenting discussions with noted directors, taking place at the upcoming annual European conference, XBIZ Amsterdam.

'White Rabbit' Party Headed for XBIZ Amsterdam

XBIZ is pleased to announce the White Rabbit Party, an XBIZ Amsterdam special event set to take place Wednesday, Sept. 3.

2025 XBIZ Amsterdam Speaker Lineup Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full speaker lineup for XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, the latest edition of Europe’s biggest adult industry conference, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel in Amsterdam.

Sara Jay, Dan Leal to Sponsor XBIZ Amsterdam Kick-Off Event

Sara Jay’s Wyde Syde Productions and Porno Dan Leal’s Market64 will co-sponsor the Bottoms Up Day Drinking kick-off event for XBIZ Amsterdam 2025 at Excalibur Café on Sept. 2, from 2-4 p.m. (CET).

Show More