Canada’s justice minister is defending Ottawa’s Online Harms Act after Elon Musk criticized the bill online.
The post included text from the platform’s Help Center, with a section highlighted that said, “We recognize that if people experience abuse on X, it can jeopardize their ability to express themselves.”
Mr. Virani also criticized an article that Mr. Musk shared about the proposed legislation.
“The article you shared is misleading. I’d be happy to discuss our legislation and how X can work with us to help keep kids safe and stop hatred.”
Mr. Virani said in response, “Grateful for your interest in the Online Harms Act—which would keep kids safe, apply existing laws to the online world and address the rise in hate—but the article you’ve shared mischaracterizes the bill.” He didn’t elaborate how the article mischaracterizes the bill in his post.
The Online Harms Bill would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to specify that posting “hate speech” online is discrimination. It would allow people to file complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission against the individual who posted the content poster. In some cases, complaints could be filed anonymously if the commission deems it necessary.
Online social media platforms would be required to act responsibly, protect children, and make certain content inaccessible. Failure to abide by the requirements could cost the platforms 6 percent of their gross global revenue or $10 million, whichever is greater.
The bill also paves the way for what some critics have called “future crime” provisions, where a judge could place certain restrictions on a defendant for up to a year if the court is satisfied that the individual may commit a future hate crime. Some of the restrictions include wearing an electronic bracelet and curfews. Defendants who refuse could be sentenced for up to one year in jail.
