Michael Geist:
This is Law Bytes, a podcast with Michael Geist.
CBC News:
The world’s largest tech firms were on the defensive today in Ottawa. Canada hosted a committee of politicians from nearly a dozen countries which got the chance to grill representatives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter about how they manage data, how they handle the spread of misinformation, and whether they’re a potential threat to democracy. The committee also heard from observers of the industry who are worried about what they’re seeing.
Michael Geist:
The debate over big data, privacy, and its implications for democracy came to Ottawa last week as the so-called international grand committee brought together the world’s biggest tech companies, politicians from around the world and leading thinkers for three days of hearings. The international grand committee hearing the second of its kind was led by the House of Commons Standing committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics who were joined by elected officials from the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Singapore, and many other countries. In the hot seat where the tech and social media companies: Facebook Google Twitter Apple Microsoft and Amazon. The discussion often became contentious.
MP Peter Kent:
Does Facebook still defend the concept that it doesn’t have to be true to be your platform.
Kevin Chan, FB:
I understand where you’re getting at. I do think that if I if you’ll permit me the way I would like to maybe talk about it a bit.
MP Peter Kent:
Yes or no it wouldn’t work yes or no would work.
Kevin Chan, FB:
That’s why we’re here. We would welcome basic safe.
MP Peter Kent:
So this is a learning experience for you.
Kevin Chan, FB:
To welcome basics Mr. Kent basic safe. I think.
MP Peter Kent:
I asked that with respect and civility.
Kevin Chan, FB:
We would welcome basic standards that lawmakers can impose on the platform about what should go up and what should come down.
Michael Geist:
The controversy didn’t stop with what the company said but also who said it the decision of top executives such as Facebook Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to give the entire hearing a miss sparked widespread anger from across the political spectrum.
MP Charlie Angus:
It’s really important for Facebook and the other data giants to realize that their contempt of democracy is their contempt of citizen rights. Their belief that because their billionaire frat boys from Silicon Valley they’re there above all of us little people that they they’re running on a road and if they continue to show contempt for our democracies our democracies will push back.
Michael Geist:
Hours after the hearings concluded I sat down with Nathaniel Erskine Smith a Liberal MP from the Toronto riding of Beaches East York and vice chair of the committee to discuss the intensive three days, the prospect of global reforms, and what comes next for the international grand committee.
Michael Geist:
Thanks so much for joining me on the podcast.
MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith:
Thanks for having me.
Michael Geist:
So we are just a few hours after the conclusion of three days of what I assume I’m exhausted was pretty gruelling hearings for the grand committee which made for a really good television or at least streaming for those that were following. That’s right and certainly attracted a lot of attention and I want to get your immediate thoughts given that it’s only been a few hours since it concluded. But first for those that weren’t following along. Can you just explain what the grand committee is.
MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith:
Sure. So the grand committee the word grand by the way this would only have been created by UK parliamentarian. It is an international committee made up of more than 10 parliaments from around the world who are all focused on similar issues related to democracy big data and privacy. And this really was born out of an initial cooperation between our Canadian committee and the U.K. committee where we are both going down this rabbit hole of Cambridge analytics. And there was I communicated first with Christopher Wylie who connected me with the U.K. chair Damian Collins. We had direct interactions to assist one another in our investigations and out of that we went to a roundtable of parliamentarians in Washington in July of last year and started this conversation. We had Bob Zimmer our conservative chair was there with me in Washington and he and Da
