OTTAWA—The federal government’s new “digital charter” will emphasize Canadians’ control over their own personal information and promises “strong enforcement” of transnational internet giants that break the law. The Liberal government will not take any immediate steps to impose regulation on companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon, according to a copy of the digital charter obtained by the Star. But in a speech planned for Toronto on Tuesday, Navdeep Bains, the innovation and economic development minister, will present the charter as a set of principles that all government policy and legislation will be measured against.“Five of the top six most valuable publicly listed firms in the world deal with data. It’s no understatement that in today’s world, data drives business,” the speech says.“But alongside the great things unlocked by data, we cannot ignore some of the new and complex challenges. At the heart of these challenges is the question of trust.” The so-called digital charter will emphasize that Canadians should have control over their personal data, including knowing how that data is being used and by whom. It will commit the government to bringing in a “strong” enforcement regime to deal with internet and social media companies.Read more: As tech giants grow ever more powerful, Canada and others are under pressure to actFreeland says today’s big tech firms are like the monopolies of a century agoOpinion | Heather Mallick: Fight for your digital privacyThe charter also suggests the federal government is looking at competition law as a way of reining in the power of the transnational companies, with promises to “ensure fair competition in the online marketplace,” “facilitate the growth of Canadian businesses” and protect “Canadian consumers from market abuses.”That language suggests the Liberal government sees antitrust laws ...
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