It has been an exceptionally challenging year for the Jewish community in Canada, facing antisemitism most of us never imagined possible. Wishing all who celebrate a Shana Tova with hope for a happy, healthy and safe new year in which we all work to bring this normalcy of antisemitism to an end.

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 244: Kris Klein on the Long Road to a Right to be Forgotten Under Canadian Privacy Law www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/09/law-...

Government’s proposed Criminal Code reform in Bill C-9 targets “intent to provoke a state of fear in a person in order to impede their access to” places of worship, community centres, educational institutions, daycares, senior residences, and cemeteries. www.parl.ca/DocumentView...

Important read: “a faculty association should avoid adopting political positions unless expressly authorized in its constitution: the political line in the sand is spelled out in the constitution.” www.caut.ca/bulletin/con...

If you relied on Liberal MP Judy Sgro's analysis of lawful access in Bill C-2 in the House of Commons yesterday, you wouldn’t know the bill also includes a warrantless information demand power and applies to all providers of services, not just digital data. www.ourcommons.ca/documentview...

Debate resumed yesterday on Bill C-2, the border measures bill that includes dangerous warrantless access provision in revived lawful access rules. It did not go well as government MPs downplayed the privacy risks that have sparked widespread criticism. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/09/gove...

Radio-Canada suspends journalist for analysis that included “stereotypical, antisemitic, erroneous and prejudicial allegations against Jewish communities” ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/219...

Barry Avrich speaks to Steve Paikin about TIFF and treatment of Road Between Us documentary. Two items of note: 1. Despite TIFF’s denials, effectively confirms request to get clearance for Hamas October 7th footage (10:40) 2. Silence from Canadian producers (27:00) open.spotify.com/episode/2w2k...

The return of my Law Bytes podcast series coincides with the return of Parliament from its summer break. This week’s episode looks ahead to the coming session including lawful access, online harms, and privacy and artificial intelligence regulation. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/09/law-...

From the shameful decision to remove the film and change its name to winning people’s choice for best documentary www.timescolonist.com/the-mix/the-...

🎉 Big milestones deserve big celebrations! Join us on October 3rd to celebrate 25 years of technology law, ethics and policy at @uottawa.ca and the 15th anniversary of the @cdtsuottawaclts.bsky.social. 🎉 Registration is now open! › www.uottawa.ca/research-inn...

Sounds like federal bubble zone legislation coming next week. Much needed given the violence and threats that have targeted schools, community centres, and places of worship. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

“The cultural world is full of enforcers in 2025: art schools, universities, arts associations and, most brutal and rigid, provincial and federal funders. All conspire to instill proper thinking.” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Dr. @mgeist.bsky.social is a uOttawa Law Prof. & Cda Research Chair in Internet/E-commerce Law. His work has shaped 🇨🇦 digital policy. He hosts Law Bytes, serves on many boards incl. Internet Archive Cda, and is a recipient of the Order of Ontario. Meet Our Board: internetsociety.ca/what-we-do/#...

"The time for simply bemoaning that hate is “not who Canadians are” is long past. The Jewish community needs protection, not tweets and platitudes." www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...

[email protected]: Right to Be Forgotten Findings Raise Issues About Privacy Commissioner's Powers and Canadian Privacy Law Reform teresascassa.substack.com/p/right-to-b...

My local grocery store has a bullet proof vested security guard at the entrance after a stabbing that police are investigating as a hate motivated crime. My op-ed piece on the rise of antisemitism in Canada and inevitable shift of violent words to violent action. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/09/groc...

“Jews make up slightly more than 1% of Canada’s population, but are victims of 70% of reported religious-based acts of hate.” How is it that the majority of Liberal MPs didn’t sign this letter? Why is fighting antisemitism seemingly determined by constituency demographics? bsky.app/profile/benc...

Just back from the Loblaws where the attack took place this week. Bullet proof vested security guard now at the entrance. Never would have imagined requiring security in Canada in order for Jewish customers to safely shop for kosher groceries. bsky.app/profile/mgei...

My Globe and Mail opinion piece on the attack this week at our local “kosher Loblaws.” It is now being investigated as a hate motivated crime. I reflect on what it now means to go grocery shopping while Jewish in Canada in 2025. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/bc5ccfd...

CP follows up on my post on the Bill C-11 privacy provision deletion. Department confirms mistake. Government has been too cavalier with privacy for years now: C-11 deletion, C-27 failure, anti-privacy C-2 and C-4. Change needed. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/08/priv... www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...

Increased security so your kids can go to school. Increased security for your family to go to synagogue. Increased security to attend a Jewish community centre event. Now increased security so you can go grocery shopping. Being Jewish in Canada in 2025. www.instagram.com/p/DN6CLrICX4...

OPC finds there is a limited “right to deletion” from search results under PIPEDA. Requires Google to de-list several articles when “there is a significant risk of harm that outweighs the public interest in that information remaining accessible through such a search.” www.priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/...

Bill C-11 included a Broadcasting Act change emphasizing the right to privacy. But two months after it became law, the government deleted the provision. My post on legislative incompetence that left a non-sensical clause without the intended privacy safeguard. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/08/priv...

It used to be that I would need to clear spam comments from my blog. Since writing about antisemitism, I now deal with comments that call for my death. Just removed one that started by saying that Hitler was correct and it got worse from there. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/07/the-...

The opportunity to reset Canada’s deeply flawed digital legislation would be a win-win-win. Fix C-11 and C-18 mistakes by rescinding them, gain in key economic areas with the US, and craft a digital policy that puts competition and consumers before lobby groups. nationalnewswatch.com/2025/08/22/w...

‘It’s shocking’: How TIFF abandoned freedom of expression with its poor handling of the October 7 documentary fiasco: my appearance on The Hub podcast www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS8S...

The overlooked aspect of the TIFF controversy that still deserves attention: The Hub features my post on TIFF’s threat to artistic freedom of expression thehub.ca/2025/08/19/n...

TIFF not only tried to remove the October 7th film from its schedule but also conditioned inclusion on a name change. This limitation on artistic expression sets a dangerous precedent, violates its mission statement and should be strongly condemned. www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/08/out-...

Creator groups and Canadian Heritage officials regularly emphasize respect for artists and the integrity of their work, yet remained silent when TIFF demanded the title of the October 7th rescue film be changed. Is it common for film festivals to tell artists what to call their work?

Glad to see TIFF will now screen October 7th rescue film. But many questions linger: Why raise absurd copyright claim? Why require film name change? Are reports staff threatened to quit if screened true? Given public money that supports event, public deserves answers. x.com/TIFF_NET/sta...

Late yesterday, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey denied that censorship was at play with the decision to remove the October 7th documentary from the TIFF schedule. Yet by weaponizing copyright and spurious clearance requirements, that is precisely what is taking place. bsky.app/profile/mgei...

TIFF Removes October 7th Documentary Film From Schedule Citing Implausible Copyright Clearance Concerns From Hamas Terror Footage www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/08/tiff...

Is TIFF seriously arguing that it won’t show an October 7th documentary film due to copyright clearance concerns arising from the Hamas body-cam footage of the terror attack?! The video in the film would easily qualify as fair dealing. Shameful. deadline.com/2025/08/tiff...

Seeing Cabinet ministers and MPs wait for the PM to comment on the antisemitic attack in Montreal and then follow with roughly the same script - devoid of the word antisemitism - isn't leadership and isn't good enough. Explicitly calling out antisemitism should not be hard.

Carney’s Digital Recalibration: How the Government is Trending Away from Justin Trudeau’s Digital Policy www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/08/carn...

Let Competition Be the Guide: Why the Government and CRTC Got It Right on Wholesale Fibre Broadband Access www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/08/let-...

Last night, the gov't announced it was leaving in place the CRTC wholesale fibre access decision. Coincidentally, today the Globe runs my opinion piece on the issue, which argues maximizing competition regardless of provider should be the guiding principle. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/bc5ccfd...

The CBC covers our recent @CMAJ commentary on health data and the need for stronger privacy laws in Canada. Commentary at www.cmaj.ca/content/197/... www.cbc.ca/news/health/...

Ensuring the Sovereignty and Security of Canadian Health Data - my @cmaj.ca commentary with Kumanan Wilson and Mari Teitelbaum on the value of health data, the role of AI, and the overdue need for stronger privacy safeguards in Canada. www.cmaj.ca/content/197/...

The Law Bytes Podcast Law Society of Ontario CPD Professionalism Pack: five past episodes emphasizing AI and legal services now offer over three hours of LSO accredited professionalism content www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/07/the-...

The pressure to adopt new legal technologies continues to increase as lawyers and law firms look for new tools to improve practice of law. Sukesh Kamra joins the Law Bytes podcast to discuss (episode qualifies for 45 minutes of LSO CLE Professionalism content). www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/07/law-...

"Jewish communities have long known silence. At its worst, it has manifested as synagogue floors covered in sand to mask the sound of feet shuffling during prayers or by those hidden to escape capture by Nazis. In today’s Canada, silence comes in different ways." www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/07/the-...

My opinion piece on what has become a sound of silence when it comes to antisemitism in Canada: “It is hard to think of any other group that is not only denied its own ability to identify harms but is painted as acting nefariously when it does so.” thehub.ca/2025/07/25/m...

The Jewish community constitutes less than 1% of Canada’s population yet once again it is the most targeted group for hate crimes in the country according to Statscan data on police reporting. thecjn.ca/news/jews-we...

Excellent look at the risks with Bill C-2, the government’s lawful access bill that is buried in border measures legislation: “(The provisions) do more to expand the state’s power to access private data in Canada than any law in the past decade.” www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...

From Politico Canada this morning: Prime Minister Carney said to have confirmed that permanent removal of the digital service tax via legislation coming in the fall.

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 241: Scott Benzie on How Government Policy Has Eroded Big Tech Support for Canadian Culture www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/07/law-...

Google ends its DST fee in Canada and says it will refund what was paid once the tax is legally rescinded. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Fun to chat about TikTok's future in Canada on today's The Big Story podcast. Hard to make sense of the current policy in which it seems everyone loses. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfj...