Author Archives: bhaggart

New (co-written) from me: The Canadian government’s poor track record on public consultations undermines its ability to regulate new technologies

Posted on August 17, 2023 by bhaggart

Over at The Conversation, co-written with Natasha Tusikov. In which we express our ongoing frustration with what, at this point, can only be described as the federal government’s refusal to conduct meaningful public consultations on data-governance issues. The government’s just-announced … Continue reading →

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Some thoughts on platform governance and Bill C-18 (The Online News Act)

Posted on August 9, 2023 by bhaggart

Wrote this up on Twitter (y’all know what I’m talking about, so no need to call it something else), reposting it here. Basically calling for critics to engage with the past decade (and longer) of literature on platform governance, especially … Continue reading →

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The New Knowledge: We dropped a classic today

Posted on July 13, 2023 by bhaggart

My new book, with Natasha Tusikov, The New Knowledge: Information, Data and the Remaking of Global Power is out today, via Rowman & Littlefield. It’s available for free as an open-access download (thank you, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council … Continue reading →

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Blackmail as corporate power play: Some thoughts on the Google/Meta C-18 tantrum

Posted on July 5, 2023 by bhaggart

Interrupting my July vacation to highlight some points regarding Meta and Google’s high-stakes game of chicken with the Canadian government over Bill C-18. 1. This is not about money. It’s about power. I see that Michael Geist is arguing that … Continue reading →

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Some smoke, no fire: Government’s pandemic response found to have protected Canadians’ privacy rights

Posted on June 6, 2023 by bhaggart

Not really a catchy title, is it? Still, I think it’s worth highlighting the federal Privacy Commissioner’s report, published on May 30, that found that, “with some exceptions, that the measures implemented by the government during the pandemic complied with … Continue reading →

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