the experiment’s results highlight the urgent need for stricter online harms legislation around the world — and any online harms legislation at all in canada. despite their promise to introduce such a bill in 2019, then again within 100 days of their 2021 electoral win, the federal liberals have yet to do so.
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last week, experts brought together by the liberal government last year to provide advice on an online harms bill penned an open letter calling on the government to finally get its act together, particularly when it comes to protecting children. “our lack of governance has put canadian children at greater risk than their counterparts in much of the democratic world,” it reads. “canadian kids are increasingly subjected to egregious privacy violations, harassment, extortion and cyberbullying from offenders within and outside of canada, on platforms they use every day.”
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meanwhile, harm proliferates. just over a week ago, news broke that a 12-year-old boy in british columbia died by suicide after he became the victim of sexual extortion. the tragedy became public on nov. 27, which would have been amanda todd’s 27th birthday had she not also died by suicide after explicit screenshots of her were non-consensually distributed among her peers.
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