Evolving Algorithms, Devolving Politics

The business of politics in Canada has become uglier recently — according to politicians who spoke to Stephen Maher for this story co-published with The Walrus — and it’s threatening democracy. That’s true in other countries too, say researchers. As constituents, conspiracists and opponents embrace social media platforms driven by opaque algorithms prioritizing extreme content to keep users clicking, politicians are facing escalating levels of hostility, including violent threats, online and off.

The cyberwar in Ukraine, although mostly playing out in the shadows, may be remembered as the first space-cyber war. Space-based assets and applications, including such critical infrastructure as communications satellites, are vital to national and economic security — and increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. In this policy brief, Eytan Tepper says that addressing space-cyber threats requires states to develop new national policies and multilateral regimes with an integrated approach.

Much like its resistance in the streets and on the battlefield, Ukraine has put up a remarkable defence against Moscow’s concerted cyber campaign and information war. Justin Ling writes that while Ukraine’s forward-looking vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation Mykhailo Fedorov may have helped prepare Ukraine for this moment, Russia’s relentless efforts to destroy Ukraine and its evident resolve mean the country needs further defences.

The European Union has reached an agreement about the Digital Services Act, a landmark piece of legislation with impressive scope. But, as Julia Keseru explains, while it introduces important new protections, the act misses the opportunity to reframe how we think about sensitive data. As a consequence, it also falls short of pushing meaningful restrictions on extractive, intrusive and otherwise problematic data practices — most notably, behaviourally targeted advertising.

May 26 – 12:00 p.m. EDT (UTC–04:00): As digital technologies reshape markets in many profound ways, why does competition matter? How are Canada’s Competition Bureau and the Competition Act critical to the country’s economic recovery?

As Canada looks ahead to modernizing its Competition Act, join CIGI for a conversation about these and other questions. Remarks by Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell will open the hour; a moderated panel discussion will follow.

Find out more about this free event here, and stay tuned for upcoming events in the series.