Piecing together the public policy puzzle | McGill News
July 2, 2019 | In this article published in the McGill Alumni magazine, Joel Yanofsky tells the story of the creation of the Max Bell School, from the historic $10 million gift that started it all to the development of an MPP program that aims to bridge the gap between
Federal election easy prey for social media manipulators, experts warn | CBC News
JUNE 24, 2019 | Taylor Owen, an expert in the political impact of digital technologies, warns that the social media infrastructure is to blame for the spread of fake news and political interference. "What's wrong with this infrastructure is that it is calibrated for engagement," he says.
Election interference is happening in Canada: What you can do to stop it | CBC News
June 25, 2019 | Online interference is happening in the run-up to Canada's fall federal election. CBC News looked at who's behind it and what you can do to stop it. The interview featured Taylor Owen, Max Bell School professor and Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics, and Communications. Taylor Owen spoke about how the design of our digital infrastructure and social media platforms are manipulable when it comes to election campaigns and political speech.
Taylor Owen in The Globe and Mail: Who will answer the Christchurch Call? Nobody, if tech platforms continue ungoverned | OPINION
May 23, 2019 | Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communication at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, writes that the Christchurch Call might be a missed opportunity for governments to move toward global digital governance.
A cross-country "energy corridor" for Canada? | CTV News
May 24, 2019 | Conservative leader Andrew Scheer revived the idea of a coast-to-coast energy corridor, a policy that has picked up interest in recent years. Chris Ragan, Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy, comments on this policy. He warns that, given the difficulty of securing approval for energy infrastructure in Canada, "the country will want to find ways to get through tough approval processes to run more east-west energy grids".
Canada to announce framework for accountability & transparency from social media platforms | Primetime Politics
May 15, 2019 | Digital media expert and Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, Taylor Owen explains Canada's Digital Charter, the federal government'a latest engagement to provide a framework for accountability and transparency from social media platforms. He believes the greater question to date is whether, and how national regulations will apply to tech giants and corporations based in the United States.
Des politiciens s'engagent à tenir tête aux géants de la technologie | Radio Canada
May 12, 2019 | Social media companies are beginning to worry politicians around the world. In the context of the coming 2019 election, elected officials are worried that non-compliance with current laws may pose a threat to Canadian democracy. Max Bell School Professor and digital expert Taylor Owen asserts that it is not too late for Canada to beef up its laws and regulate tech giants.
The Christchurch Call: toward a global effort to fight online hate speech | Globe and Mail
May 15, 2019 | World leaders including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, France's President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met at the "Christchurch Call" summit to discuss steps in eradicating online hate speech. Digital governance expert Taylor Owen argues that national regulations protecting user privacy and data ownership may come into force earlier than we may think.
Canada's new ‘Digital Charter’ | Welland Tribune
May 12, 2019 | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced the new Digital Charter, an attempt for the government to step in and regulate tech giants. This framework aims at setting expectations on issues such as data ownership, privacy protections and the online dissemination of hate. Digital expert and McGill's Chair of Media, Ethics and Communications Taylor Owen shares his views on this new framework.
Will Canada regulate tech giants? Taylor Owen weighs in | Vancouver Sun
May 12, 2019 | Politicians are increasingly concerned that social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter have become so powerful and rich that they are effectively above the law — at least in a small country like Canada. Taylor Owen, McGill's Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Max Bell School spoke about the challenges in implementing international regulations on hate speech, but maintains that Canada is in a position to strengthen their laws.
Taylor Owen on the "Christchurch Call" | CBC Radio
May 15, 2019 | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders reunited in Paris for the "Christchurch Call" summit. This meeting brought together politicians and industry leaders in tech to fight the spread of online extremism. McGill's Chair of Media, Ethics and Communications Taylor Owen was invited to CBC's Front Burner to discuss the challenges in implementing efficient measures to combat online hate speech.
Taylor Owen on the challenges of moderating online content | CBC News
May 15, 2019 | McGill University's Chair of Media, Ethics and Communications Taylor Owen joined CBC's Andrew Nichols to talk about the challenges in tackling online extremism. The technical challenges faced by world leaders and companies are, he says, very intricate and nuanced and require careful scanning and moderating.
Debunking carbon tax myths | Financial Post
April 5, 2019 | With the federal carbon tax coming in to the four provinces in Canada, how will it affect small businesses? Is the carbon tax constitutional? Chris Ragan, economist and director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy debunks certain myths surrounding the federal carbon tax on Financial Post.
Watch the interview
Regulating Social Media Giants | The Reporter
April 9, 2019 | The Canadian government is now considering to actively regulate social media platforms such as Facebook, given the lack of results from self-regulation. "We better get the democratic governance right if we have any hope of pushing back against the autocratic model," said Taylor Owen, an associate professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University in Montreal.
Why are governments slow to regulate social media? | Global News
April 8, 2019 | Social media has been deeply ingrained in our daily lives and with the current spread of hate and misinformation, governments have been slow to regulate social media companies. Taylor Owen from McGill Univeristy, speaks with Global National’s Dawna Friesen on what can and should be done to stop the spread these false information and hate online.
