By Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
Canada has agreed to work more closely with the European Union to further regulate the internet.
Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton pledged to work together on several key priorities, including internet regulation, last Thursday.
“On online platforms, the EU and Canada intend to continue to cooperate and exchange information on measures to ensure transparency, fairness and accountability and to make the Internet a safer and more inclusive place for users,” a government press release reads.
“In the coming year, the partners aim to exchange on the implementation of their respective frameworks.”
The European Union’s Digital Services Act has raised concerns among civil liberties groups in Europe for its excessive nature.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and numerous human rights and free speech advocacy groups urged Breton last July to clarify that the Digital Services Act does not empower authorities to use internet shutdowns as a punitive measure.
“Arbitrary blocking of online platforms and other forms of internet shutdowns are never a proportionate measure and impose disastrous consequences for people’s safety,” the foundation warned.