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An internal government memo that has alarmed Conservatives shows plans to not only identify but track and go after individuals whose online content is deemed ‘misinformation.’
(LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian federal minister has devised plans and a strategy to monitor the public’s social media use while at the same time coming up with possible actions that can be taken against people for posting “misleading information” online.
The plan comes from Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, whose departmental strategy has alarmed Conservative MPs.
As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, a 35-page internal memo with the title Misinformation and Disinformation Strategy was made public via an Access to Information request. The memo shows plans to not only identify but track and go after those whose online content is deemed “misinformation.”
“This strategy seeks to uphold the integrity of and public trust in government information,” noted an excerpt from the memo dated March 31.
While no specific penalties are mentioned in the memo, its goal is to create a framework to “prevent, detect and respond to false or misleading information.”
According to Canada’s Industry Department, its staff is already monitoring social media sites and general Canadian media for people’s comments.
The strategy is to expand what the department does from a “reactive stance to one that is focused on prevention and early detection.”
According to officials, doing so would “proactively address false and misleading information” on social media sites such as X, Facebook, and others to build momentum.
The memo stated that the department would be in charge of deciding if any online content from social media was “factually incorrect, misleading or out of context.”
Action taken against those who have “factually incorrect” content would need senior approval and would be a “proportionate” response.