Digital Charter Is Trojan Horse for Censorship

Social-Media Platforms, Users Must Resist Out-of-Touch Bureaucrats

This is Chapter 6 of Financial Sovereignty for Canadians: Untether Yourself from the Ottawa Leviathan.

In June 2022, the federal government proposed the Digital Charter Implementation Act to modernize personal data protection and apply new rules for artificial-intelligence deployment. Launched in 2018, the digital charter was supposed to achieve the noble goals of expanded internet access and more trust online. If someone peels back the feel-good 10 principles and stated justifications, however, he finds a new weapon in the censor’s arsenal.

“The platforms are failing their users, and they’re failing our citizens. They have to step up in a major way to counter disinformation,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when he announced the charter on May 16, 2018. “If they don’t, we will hold them to account and there will be meaningful financial consequences.”