Canada91裸聊视频檚 privacy czar and a government official are warning that a Senate bill proposing to block minors from 91裸聊视频渟exually explicit material91裸聊视频� online could apply to streaming services such as Netflix.
Philippe Dufresne, the country91裸聊视频檚 privacy commissioner, says legislators should dramatically narrow the bill91裸聊视频檚 scope to address concerns about 91裸聊视频渨hat will be captured.91裸聊视频�
Dufresne, along with Owen Ripley, a deputy minister at Canadian Heritage, were the first to testify late Monday at a parliamentary committee tasked with studying legislation proposed by Independent Sen. Julie Miville-Dech锚ne.
91裸聊视频淭he bill is highly problematic for a number of reasons, including a scope that is much too broad, both in terms of regulated services as well as regulated content,91裸聊视频漅ipley testified late Monday.
Experts like University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, who specializes in internet and e-commerce law, say age verification technology is not there yet, and the 91裸聊视频渇undamentally flawed91裸聊视频� bill raises major privacy concerns.
Proponents of the bill argue its purpose, which is to shield minors from sexually graphic and violent material, is an important enough endeavour that it should be passed, with the technical details to be sorted out through a regulatory process.
But Geist said policies on how to handle technology should be created based on known capabilities, not on 91裸聊视频渢echnological fairy dust.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 fundamentally defective in its current form, and it can91裸聊视频檛 be fixed without a complete overhaul,91裸聊视频� said longtime privacy lawyer David Fraser.
91裸聊视频淭he technology simply doesn91裸聊视频檛 exist to permit age verification at scale.91裸聊视频�
He also echoed concerns about the potential reach of the bill, saying 91裸聊视频渟exually explicit material91裸聊视频� as defined could mean it applies to search engines, social-media giants, e-book publishers and even streaming services.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 significant freedom of expression concerns,91裸聊视频� he said in an interview Tuesday.
During the committee hearing late on Monday, Ripley confirmed his own interpretation that as it is written, the proposed law would make it a rule for services like Netflix to verify the age of their users.
91裸聊视频淢andating age verification requirements for this scope of services and content would have far-reaching implications for how Canadians access and use the internet,91裸聊视频� he said.
Dufresne raised similar concerns and recommended that legislators amend the language so it targets websites providing 91裸聊视频渟exually explicit material91裸聊视频� for commercial purposes.
Fraser added Tuesday it91裸聊视频檚 likely that companies will look at the cost of complying with the proposed law and just block Canadian access to the content rather than risk liability.
Fraser noted that Pornhub began blocking access to Texas earlier this year after it ushered in its own age verification laws, as other states have done.
The company91裸聊视频檚 owners have said that is one of the options they are considering as parliamentarians decide what to do with the current Senate bill.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not designed to keep kids safe. It91裸聊视频檚 not designed to keep adults safe,91裸聊视频� said Solomon Friedman, a partner and vice-president of compliance at Ethical Capital Partners, which owns Pornhub91裸聊视频檚 parent company, Aylo.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 designed to impose the morality of a select few ideologically motivated legislators on the rest of Canadians.91裸聊视频�
Its owners oppose the bill and are instead pushing for device manufacturers to be the ones to bear the onus of ensuring minors don91裸聊视频檛 access such sites, rather than platforms themselves.
Friedman said his company has requested that committee members provide Pornhub executives a chance to appear to discuss the legislation and its potential impacts.
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