At #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned, Megan Garcia (Mother, Lawyer, and Advocate) and Meetali Jain (@techjusticelaw.bsky.social) joined Ava Smithing (Young People's Alliance & Centre Youth Fellow) to talk about the latest threat to children online: AI chatbots. 🧵

We sre really looking forward to this online event and this collaboration with the @mediatechdemocracy.bsky.social

We are very excited to partner with @migsinstitute.bsky.social for Digital Defenders: Youth Building Resilience and Change, on Nov. 17th This upcoming seminar will explore how youth respond to challenges of the digital age! 🧵

"Every innovation forces societies to decide if they want to govern technology or to be governed by it. The answer has never been less innovation, but more accountability." This was the reminder that @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social gave us when opening #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned 🧵

In April, Jim Balsillie (former Chair & Co-CEO, Research in Motion) joined @taylorowen.bsky.social on the Machines Like Us podcast, where he asserted that Canada's problem isn't Trump, "Canada's problem is Canada." At #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned, they reunited to talk about un-capturing democracy. 🧵

At #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned, @yoshuabengio.bsky.social (Co-President & Scientific Director of @law-zero.bsky.social and Founder & Scientific Advisor of @mila-quebec.bsky.social) stressed the need to disentangle transparency of how AI is built versus transparency of what is going on inside the AI. 🧵

🤨 Who benefits from disinformation? @bostonjoan.bsky.social, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies at Boston University, on this week's The AmberMac Show podcast. 📹 Recorded at Attention: Govern or be Governed @mediatechdemocracy.bsky.social cc @jeffmacarthur.bsky.social

One of the guiding themes of #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned was how we can build digital technologies with humans in mind. This question has informed much of Frank McCourt's work, as the Founder of @projectliberty.io and Executive Chairman of McCourt Global. 🧵 #Attention2025

As Canada prepares for COP30, accurate climate information is more important than ever for effective climate action. The UN’s Global Initiative on Climate Change Information Integrity underscores that policy ambition cannot succeed without trustworthy information environments. 🧵

Amid the rise of climate disinformation and obstruction in Canada, our October 2025 polling from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, led by @sonjasolomun.bsky.social and @chrispyross.bsky.social, indicates that Canadians share this concern. #climateaction #COP30 #climatechange

86% of Canadians believe that during extreme weather events governments should require social media platforms to ensure the accuracy of information and prevent the promotion of disinformation.

82% of Canadians want Canada to participate in global efforts to strengthen information integrity on digital platforms.

78% of Canadians express concern about online disinformation related to climate change, while 88% report concern about public health disinformation.

78% of Canadians are worried about harmful information circulating during crises such as wildfires and floods.

You can read more about our findings here: tinyurl.com/4vvwrnkt

Writer & activist Cory Doctorow believes that we are witnessing an era where the services that matter most to us are getting worse. Namely, the internet, which was promised to us as a democratizing force, was colonized by platforms solely driven by their bottom line. 🧵

In May, @evansolomon.bsky.social became Canada's first Minister of AI and Digital Innovation. At #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned, Solomon joined Anna Jahn (Executive Director, the Centre) to discuss his mandate 150 days in. 🧵 #Attention2025 #cdnpoli #EvanSolomon #AI

Attention: Govern Or Be Governed offered inspiring dialogue on how democracies worldwide can better navigate this digital era. Now, we are thrilled to share these insights with you, starting with @garymarcus.bsky.social and @muradhem.bsky.social. 🧵 #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

🇨🇦 Canada is too often a wait-and-see country when it comes to digital governance. 🎧 Here's Taylor Owen, Director @mediatechdemocracy.bsky.social & Host of Machines Like Us. 📹 The AmberMac Show at Attention: Govern or be Governed cc @jeffmacarthur.bsky.social youtu.be/sXPnddvFn5k?...

Exciting event next week 🚨 @mila-quebec.bsky.social is hosting the 2025 Digital Trust Convention, exploring how to "upgrade" our online environment to make it more resilient. The Digital Trust Convention will convene leading thinkers and experts, including Centre director @taylorowen.bsky.social 🧵

Last week, TJLP Executive Director Meetali Jain joined client Megan Garcia for a panel on the threats that AI chatbots pose to children for @mediatechdemocracy.bsky.social ‘s ATTENTION: Govern or Be Governed.

When will the AI bubble burst? In the final conversation of #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned, @garymarcus.bsky.social (Professor Emeritus of Psychology & Neural Science, NYU) likened Sam Altman's talk of "scaling laws" to insanity, or doing the same thing and expecting AGI. #Attention2025

Writer and activist Cory Doctorow joined us at #AttentionGovernOrBeGoverned to talk about reimagining digital public infrastructure. He pointed to a silver lining of Trump's trade war: the chance for Canada to finally circumvent harmful U.S.-first policies. #Attention2025

@milestaylor.bsky.social tried to warn us about Trump 2.0. And now, as the former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told @justinhendrix.bsky.social of @techpolicypress.bsky.social, he is paying the price. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

Another powerful moment from #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned was the day 2 plenary panel: Chatbots as the New Threat to Children Online, moderated by Ava Smithing (Centre Youth Fellow & Advocacy and Operations Director, Young People’s Alliance).

On day 2 of #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned, Professor Fen Osler Hampson (Carleton University) joined us to talk about public attitudes on digital governance. #Attention2025

Calls to defund public broadcasters are increasingly common worldwide. Catherine Tait (Former CEO, CBC) and @emilybell.bsky.social (Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism) joined @camposmello.bsky.social, (Journalist, Folha de São Paulo) to address public media's existential crisis.

We kicked off day 2 with keynote address from Nobel Laureate and Co-founder/CEO of @rappler.bsky.social, @mariaressa.bsky.social, on the future of global digital governance. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

We wrapped day 1 of #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned with a closing keynote from Jim Balsillie (former Chair and Co-CEO, Research in Motion) on "Un-Capturing Democracy," followed by an interview with Centre Founder @taylorowen.bsky.social 🧵 #Attention2025

In the following plenary panel, moderator @ivansigal.bsky.social (Interim Director, Free Our Feeds) spoke with Professor @ethanz.bsky.social and Mark Surman (President, @mozilla.org) about building the next generation of democratic tech. 🧵 #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

Protecting creativity is part of protecting democracy: Baroness Kidron on AI and copyright at Govern or Be Governed: ethanzuckerman.com/2025/10/23/g...

In an exciting keynote conversation, Executive Director at the Centre, Anna Jahn, and Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, @evansolomon.bsky.social, discussed Canada's new approach to AI. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

For plenary panel: Data Privacy in an AI World, moderator Jennifer Welsh (@maxbellschool.bsky.social) was joined by Philippe Dufresne (Privacy Commissioner of Canada), Elizabeth Denham (Chair, Jersey Data Protection Authority), and Claire Atkin (Co-Founder and CEO, @checkmyads.org).

@yoshuabengio.bsky.social (Founder and Scientific Advisor of @mila-quebec.bsky.social) sat down with @muradhem.bsky.social to discuss transparency in AI and how we can achieve this. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned. #Attention2025 #YoshuaBengio #artificialintelligence #LLMs

Yesterday, @anjakaradeglija.bsky.social interviewed @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social (EU commissioner for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection) at our conference, Attention: Govern or Be Governed. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

We’re living through an age where disinformation reaches billions and AI is supercharging it. In “Navigating a Perilous New Free Speech Moment” panelists argued that real fixes go beyond moderation: empower citizens, protect data, and demand accountability when harm is done.

What does real competition look like in the age of Big Tech? Moderator @vassb.bsky.social (Managing Director, @canadianshieldinstitute.ca) explores this question with Marcus Bokkerink and @lutherlowe.bsky.social. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025 #techmonopolies #Competition

What if our digital infrastructure put people first, instead of platforms? For @projectliberty.io Founder and Executive Chairman of McCourt Global, Frank McCourt, it is possible to imagine a new digital future where we get to set the terms.

In our first plenary panel, moderator @damiancollins.bsky.social (former UK Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy and Senior Fellow at the Centre) led a riveting discussion on the weaponization of tech governance. #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025

In a time of growing digital threats to democracy, how can we protect our online spaces? @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social joins us for today's keynote address: Safeguarding Europe's Information Ecosystem. 🧵 #AttnGovernOrBeGoverned #Attention2025 #EuropeanUnion

Welcome to Attention: Govern Or Be Governed! We are thrilled to bring you along for the next two days of bold ideas and dialogue on how the world's democracies can chart a new path forward in this digital age. 🧵

Presenting Attention: Govern or Be Governed. The internet was initially sold to us as a force for connection. And, for a time, it did just that. But, as platforms grew unchecked, the tools we built to bring us together began to pull us apart.

This is your last chance to sign up for Gen(Z)AI! Applications close at 5PM ET on October 17th. Participants will then be selected through a lottery process that reflects the demographic makeup of Canada.

Didn't make it to Climate at a Crossroads? You can watch the full conference recording here: tinyurl.com/24e23wd5

🚨Our 2025 Federal Election report is here and it should serve as a warning for Canada to act now to protect future elections. Canada’s 2025 federal election upheld its integrity, but exposed a digital ecosystem under mounting strain. Read on to learn about our key findings 🧵

Be sure to check out Climate at a Crossroads today! This day-long event from @thewalrus.ca and @maxbellschool.bsky.social, in partnership with the Centre, brings together global experts to explore how climate disinformation is restraining progress. 🧵

📢 Want to learn more before applying to Gen(Z)AI? We’re hosting two national Info Sessions where youth (17–23) can ask questions & hear from the team about this exciting new project: 🗓️ Oct 6, 8PM ET 🗓️ Oct 14, 5PM ET

🚨 Calling all young Canadians (17–23): help shape the future of AI in Canada! Billions are being poured into AI, but what Canada’s AI future looks like isn't clear. That’s why we need your voice in the conversation. 🧵

We’re thrilled to welcome Anna Jahn as the new Executive Director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University! 🎉

We handed kids the most powerful technology in history. Then we walked away. New podcast Left To Their Own Devices from Paradigms and the @thestar.com explores what happened next. 🧵 #Podcast #PodcastLaunch #TechandSociety #onlinesafety