How can we protect Canadians from online harms? Online harassment doesn’t just affect the individual—it can have systemic effects on our institutional trust, our right to free expression, and even our democracy itself.
In the latest episode of CanConversations, host Raj Shoan talks to Rachel Gilmore, an independent journalist covering extremism and disinformation, about how Canadians can build a better Internet and protect our communities—and our sovereignty—from the greed and apathy of tech companies. Rachel has been at the forefront of reporting on online harms in Canada, and has firsthand experience of the real-world consequences of digital harassment.
In the episode, Rachel and Raj discuss how harassment risks silencing journalists, the problems with age-related social media bans, and what we can do to hold platforms accountable for their algorithmic actions.
About Rachel Gilmore:
Rachel Gilmore is an independent journalist who operates her own media company, Bubble Pop Media. She previously reported for CTV and Global News, and has written for publications including The Tyee and the National Observer. Rachel’s work focuses on human rights, disinformation and extremist movements.
Clarification:
[28:48] - Rachel says "The Arab Spring happened because of the internet."
There is quite a lot of debate around this idea, however many scholars do support this sentiment.
More on this topic: University of Washington | Al Jazeera | India Quarterly
Resources:
Three reasons you should listen to this episode:
Episode highlights:
04:52 How harassment can risk silencing journalists
Rachel discusses how online harassment disproportionately impacts marginalized journalists, particularly women and racialized journalists. She shares how efforts to protect journalists from harassment may risk shutting down their work instead, and discusses her fear that online harms might lead to self-censorship.
12:46 Learn how social media platforms reward anger and disinformation
Rachel explains how social media platforms reward anger and disinformation. She discusses how anger and conflict drive social media engagement, and thus potentially increase profits for tech companies.
14:52 Pros and cons of Canada’s Bill C-34: The Safe Social Media Act
Raj and Rachel outline the benefits and potential issues of Canada’s “latest attempt to create a comprehensive framework for online safety.” In particular, they discuss why age verification raises serious privacy concerns and may allow social media companies to sidestep taking responsibility for their algorithms.
20:50 A safer Internet doesn’t need to harm our freedom to expression
Rachel and Raj explain how we can protect individuals from harassment and discrimination, while protecting Canadians’ right to free expression. Rachel describes the distinction between “freedoms from” and “freedoms to,” noting that government regulation to protect our citizens doesn’t have to come at the expense of our freedoms.
Thanks for listening to CanConversations, a podcast from Friends of Canadian Media in collaboration with The Walrus Lab.
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