{"id":12235,"date":"2026-06-11T05:00:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccla.org\/?p=12235"},"modified":"2026-06-11T11:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:58:10","slug":"ccla-warns-against-risks-to-freedom-of-expression-and-privacy-posed-by-bill-c-34-the-safe-social-media-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ccla.org\/fr\/press-release\/ccla-warns-against-risks-to-freedom-of-expression-and-privacy-posed-by-bill-c-34-the-safe-social-media-act\/","title":{"rendered":"CCLA warns against risks to freedom of expression and privacy posed by Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t

Yesterday, the federal government introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act<\/em>, with the stated goal of making the online activities of Canadians safer. The bill raises significant civil liberties concerns, including through the limitless powers it grants the government and a new digital safety regulator.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreater transparency and accountability from tech companies is long overdue. But that must come through clear, targeted rules, not sweeping obligations and an open-ended government authority over any regulated service,\u201d said Howard Sapers, Executive Director at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA). \u201cA blank check for federal power is the wrong answer to a real problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBill C-34 introduces obligations which are so alarmingly broad that providers of regulated services will be tempted to over-comply at the expense of users\u2019 freedom of expression and privacy rights,\u201d Sapers added.<\/p>\n

Bill C-34 also bans individuals below the age of 16 from regulated social media platforms, unless the platform\u2019s operator applies for an exemption from the new regulator and can demonstrate it has \u201cadequate\u201d safeguards in place. \u00a0Absent such exemptions, every social media user will be required to prove their age through age-verification or age-estimation tools.<\/p>\n

\u201cBill C-34 should specify age-appropriate design requirements that apply based on children\u2019s declared age,\u201d said Tamir Israel, Director of Privacy, Technology and Surveillance at the CCLA. \u201cRequiring social media platforms to adopt privacy by default, prohibitions on profiling and limits on endless scrolling can provide important online protection for children and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut mandating that every social media user verify their age is highly invasive, while verification measures frequently create disproportionate challenges for marginalized communities,\u201d Israel added.<\/p>\n

\u201cData from other jurisdictions also demonstrates that age-verification systems are ineffective, meaning that a ban will only make it more difficult for youth who inevitably bypass the measures to address the online harms they will continue to face. Those that choose to comply with the ban will be excluded from important sources of information and community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill also requires social media and chatbot operators to mitigate the risks that users will be exposed to seven categories of \u201charmful content\u201d, including content that is currently legal, while further obligating AI chatbot operators to mitigate risks that the service itself will engage in \u201charmful behavior\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we agree that some deeply disturbing content may require intervention, the categories of \u201charmful content\u201d and AI behaviour should be defined more precisely to avoid transforming this new legislation into a censorship tool,\u201d said Ana\u00efs Bussi\u00e8res McNicoll, CCLA\u2019s Fundamental Freedoms Director.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than stating that it does not require<\/em> social media operators to implement measures that unreasonably or disproportionately limit users\u2019 expression or privacy, the bill should explicitly prohibit<\/em> such limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

\u00c0 propos de l\u2019association canadienne sur les libert\u00e9s civiles<\/h3>\n
\n\t

L\u2019ACLC est un organisme ind\u00e9pendant \u00e0 but non lucratif qui compte des sympathisant.e.s dans tout le pays. Fond\u00e9 en 1964, c\u2019est un organisme qui \u0153uvre \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9chelle du Canada \u00e0 la protection des droits et des libert\u00e9s civiles de toute sa population.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pour les m\u00e9dias<\/h3>\n
\n\t

Pour d'autres commentaires, veuillez nous contacter \u00e0\u00a0media@ccla.org<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pour les mises \u00e0 jour en direct<\/h3>\n
\n\t

Veuillez continuer \u00e0 vous r\u00e9f\u00e9rer \u00e0\u00a0cette page<\/a>\u00a0et \u00e0 nos plateformes de m\u00e9dias sociaux. On est dessus\u00a0Instagram<\/u><\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/u><\/a>, Twitter<\/u><\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> et Bleu ciel<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n