UK-Style Convictions for Online Posts Possible in Canada, Lawyers Say

UK-Style Convictions for Online Posts Possible in Canada, Lawyers Say
Firefighters extinguish a car fire after it was set alight by protesters in Middlesbrough, England, on Aug. 4, 2024. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
Tara MacIsaac
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A UK woman recently received a sentence of 15 months in prison for a Facebook post under the country’s new Online Safety Act, legislation that is similar in many ways to Canada’s proposed Online Harms Act.
The UK law, enacted in 2023, will come into full effect next year, but the part relating to “false and threatening communications” came into effect Jan. 31 this year and is already being enforced.