Senate Impeachment Trial Rules – Mandatory Silence
Tying into our no cameras in the courtroom discussion this week…”all persons are commanded to keep silent, on pain of imprisonment, while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment.” Mandatory silence and the banning of electronic devices for the impeachment trial should be interesting in an […]
Just Wondering: U.S. Super Bowl Commercials on Canadian TV – Yes, No, or Who Cares?
During last weeks class we focussed on this rather odd issue in identifying some of the tensions prevailing in the regulation broadcasting and communications in Canada – particularly questions of giving Canadians content they may want. The question itself may be most useful as a kind of Rorschach test on which we can all project […]
Cyber Mobs, Disinformation, and Death Videos (cw: violence)
Citation: Danielle K Citron, “Cyber Mobs, Disinformation, and Death Videos: The Internet As It Is (And As It Should Be)”, Book Review of *Sabrina* by Nick Drnaso, (2019) 118 Mich LR, online: https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1645&context=faculty_scholarship Danielle Citron (https://www.daniellecitron.com/, https://twitter.com/daniellecitron) reviews this graphic novel and relates its themes to her research on the psychology of virality, online communication, […]
“To Regulate or Not to Regulate?”: Some final (personal) thoughts.
For the past two academic years, the base theme of Communications Law was “To Regulate or Not to Regulate”. At first the question was really just a useful way to “sharpen the saw” (apologies to Stephen Covey), allowing space for the possible self-renewal of communications law through a unified theory (apologies to Albert Einstein) that […]
See you later Allard Comm. Law 2019
There is an inherent contradiction in saying goodbye to a communications law class in 2019. There are precious few certainties given the multi-dimensional nature of the subject, but one feature we can identify with reasonable certainty is that there are few if any permanent goodbyes. Communications technologies make information frighteningly persistent. Even the right to […]
(Sincere or not…) Answer of the Week (Class 11): “I believe we need a more active role for governments and regulators” – Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook
By the time end of term rolled around, everyone in our course surely was feeling a bit too familiar with our oft-repeated theme/query “To regulate or not to regulate?”. Lucky for us then that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook has taken it upon himself to answer the question, and perhaps in an unexpected way at that. […]
Question of the Week (Class 10): Should the rules regarding Canadian Content contained in the Broadcasting Act & Regulations continue?
Canadian Content regulation has for decades been a prime focus in any debate about our communications system. In the digital media age, the issue is still present but sometimes feels like it is covered up by the overwhelming changes and innovations bred through the mostly unregulated and seemingly more urgent issues of social media today. […]
March 25th Presentation: Collection of Bio Data
This week, we will be discussing the collection of bio data including wearable technology, health apps, and direct-to-consumer DNA testing. Please consider the following discussion questions prior to class. 1. Have you ever purchased a piece of wearable technology, such as an Apple Watch? What are your thoughts on privacy considerations surrounding the collection of […]
Check out theVideos of Interest to Law 423 on YouTube 
Communications Law
Join the Community!