Combating online disinformation will cost Canadian taxpayers 31 million dollars
Canadian Heritage recently announced the funding of a new project intended to strengthen Canadians’ resiliency to what they describe as “harmful online disinformation.”
Harmful content online, including misinformation and disinformation is a growing problem.
— Pablo Rodriguez (@pablorodriguez) January 11, 2023
The Digital Citizen Contribution Program is supporting research to address this issue and help make the Internet a safer and more inclusive space for everyone. https://t.co/BV4QxWgfWm
1.2 million dollars will be poured into 16 research projects to “help to counter and educate about online harms, misinformation and disinformation,” as per the release.
It’s part of funding being provided by the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) which is part of the Canadian Heritages’ Digital Citizen Initiative (DCI).
The DCI apparently supports “democracy and social cohesion in Canada by enhancing and/or supporting efforts to counter online disinformation and other online harms and threats.”
The DCI will receive a total investment of $31 million over four years.
Using Orwellian double-speak, Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez said:
“The rise of harmful content online, including misinformation and disinformation, is one of the most pressing issues of our time. This is why programs like the Digital Citizen Contribution Program are essential in helping fund important research to address this problem. In order to make informed decisions in our democracy, Canadians need to have access to the tools to identify disinformation and be able to express themselves freely without the fear of violence. These projects work toward achieving this goal and we will continue our work to make the Internet a safer and more inclusive space for everyone.”
Upholding free speech means simultaneously censoring it in Justin Trudeau’s Canada.
The government put together a group of 12 experts to advise Heritage minister Rodriguez on how to address what they deem as harmful online content, as part of the government's commitment to addressing online safety.
This comes as the federal government works to develop and implement legislative and regulatory frameworks that seek to control and censor content that Canadians can access through the internet, such as Bill C-11, also known as the “Online Streaming Act.”
If you agree that this level of censorship must be stopped, please sign the petition and then send an email to the Senate urging them to squash Trudeau’s censorship bill.