The CRTC announced today that they are requiring the “dominant mobile providers” to grant wholesale access to their networks to resellers. In theory, this is supposed to encourage more competition, faster, for cell phone plans and help push down the current in-market prices. This is pretty similar to how the larger internet providers are required to allow third party providers to use their lines in order to provide alternate service to customers (like TekSavvy using Rogers lines in order to provide service to a customer).

In the same regulatory policy, the CRTC also announced that they are stepping in and regulating a low cost mobile wireless plan required to be carried by the national wireless carriers (and SaskTel) where they exercise market power. Their requirements are detailed below – the CRTC decision says the low cost plans must be offered within 90 days of the decision (as of April 15, 2021). With the entry of MVNOs into the market and the inclusion of this new “low cost” mobile wireless plan, it will be interesting to see what changes come into the market in the near future!

CBC article on MNVOs: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc-mvno-wireless-1.5989357
CRTC Regulatory Policy: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2021/2021-130.htm

Hi everyone,

Recently came across this article which I thought was a pretty interesting read on how companies are using “dark patterns” (UI design choices) to “manipulate or heavily influence” users to make certain choices, often to obtain their consent for various data processing activities. The end of the article contains a section on how laws and regulations can be/are being used to fight this problem including some info about how the Californian laws (the CCPA & CPRA amendment) that I discussed in my presentation earlier this week have been changed. The author has written some other interesting and fairly accessible articles on some of the topics discussed in our course so far, so I’d also recommend clicking through on her profile. Here’s the link:

https://www.vox.com/recode/22351108/dark-patterns-ui-web-design-privacy

A US federal judge recently cleared three men of terrorism charges in part because they planned their acts over encrypted chat. The judge said in his decision that “in many respects [these chats are] no different than thinking the thought to yourself.”

This dubious judicial understand of technology is unlikely to stand for long, but I found the fact it exists at all quite fascinating. The Attorney General is of course “[exploring] all options for reconsideration of the charge moving forward.”

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/03/29/gretchen-whitmer-plot-threat-paul-bellar-joseph-morrison-pete-musico/7044920002/