Federal Government bans TikTok

The federal government will remove the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices on Feb. 28 in response to privacy and security concerns, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced Monday.

The government will also block the app from being downloaded on official devices in the future.

After a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada decided the app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” Ms. Fortier said in a statement. The popular app is used for making and posting short videos, which are often accompanied by catchy music and focused on trends, including dances and pranks. Rola Salem, a Treasury Board spokesperson, said in a statement that besides TikTok, no other social media apps are being blocked at this time, though the government is conducting a “broader review of social media applications on work devices.” (Globe and Mail)

Google is testing blocking access to Canadian news sites

 Google is testing ways of blocking Canadians’ access to news websites in response to the federal government’s online news bill, which would force the company and other tech giants to compensate news organizations for using their work.

The restricted access to global and Canadian news sites, which began earlier this month, will continue for five weeks, according to Google spokesman Shay Purdy.

Mr. Purdy said Google is “briefly testing product responses” to the bill, and that the tests will affect less than 4 per cent of Canadians using the search engine. “We run thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to Search,” he added.

But the office of federal Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez sharply condemned the move, saying Canadians won’t be intimidated by the tactic.

Laura Scaffidi, a spokeswoman for Mr. Rodriguez, accused Google of imitating Facebook, which in October said it would not rule out blocking Canadians’ access to news if the online news legislation, known as Bill C-18, passes without changes.

In Australia, in 2021, Facebook temporarily blocked access to news on its platforms in response to a similar law. Australians woke up to find that Facebook pages with local and world news sites were unavailable.

The platform lifted the ban days later, after an Australian minister held talks with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, and agreed to make amendments to the bill.

“It’s disappointing to hear that Google seems to be borrowing from Facebook’s playbook. This didn’t work in Australia, and it won’t work here because Canadians won’t be intimidated,” Ms. Scaffidi said. “At the end of the day, all we’re asking the tech giants to do is compensate journalists when they use their work.”

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, a member of the Commons heritage committee, which scrutinized Bill C-18, said Google is attempting to “intimidate Canadians,” and that the tactic would backfire.

“As opposed to what Google hopes to achieve here, my hope is that it has the opposite effect and makes Canadians realize why social media giants need government scrutiny and reasonable regulation,” he said. (CP)

Peter Herrndorf has died

Peter Herrndorf, long-time CBC executive and later National Arts Centre head, has died at age 82.

His son, Matthew Herrndorf, confirmed that his father died of cancer early Saturday morning "surrounded by family" at Toronto's Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital.

Peter Herrndorf served as head of the National Arts Centre from 1999 to 2018 after a long career in media, and is credited for establishing the NAC Foundation and NAC's Indigenous Theatre Department.

Herrndorf was born in Amsterdam, raised in Winnipeg, and got a political science and English degree from the University of Manitoba in 1962. He later studied law at Dalhousie University and obtained a master's in administration from Harvard Business School.

Herrndorf joined the CBC in Winnipeg in 1965, eventually becoming a vice-president, where he helped develop long-standing series including The Fifth Estate and The Journal.

He later took on roles as publisher of Toronto Life magazine, as well as chairman and CEO of TVOntario.

Herrndorf was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2008 for having revolutionized Canadian broadcasting, publishing and the performing arts at the various organizations where he served.

He later received the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award from former governor general Julie Payette during the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards at Rideau Hall in Ottawa in 2018.

David Cochrane chosen as host of Power & Politics

CBC News has tapped veteran broadcast journalist David Cochrane to host its flagship daily political program Power & Politics. He replaces Vassy Kapelos, who left  for CTV's PowerPlay.  Since joining CBC's parliamentary bureau as a national senior reporter in 2016, Cochrane has reported from 11 countries across four continents and played a lead role in CBC's 2019 and 2021 federal election coverage. He also reported extensively on the federal government's response to COVID-19 and the protests that occupied downtown Ottawa in the winter of 2022.Before his Ottawa posting, Cochrane spent nearly two decades covering politics in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was awarded a Canadian Screen Award for television reporting and three awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada (RTDNA) for best radio feature, digital analysis and hosting.

Longtime CBC radio producer Michael Finlay has died

 

 Longtime CBC radio producer Michael Finlay died Tuesday from medical complications following a random assault in Toronto's east end, his family has confirmed.

In an email to CBC staff, Cathy Perry, executive director of newsgathering and operations, said he will be remembered as an exceptional storyteller, documentary maker and editor.

Perry said Finlay travelled the world to produce radio documentaries for a number of programs, including Sunday Morning.

He was also a driving force behind Dispatches, a documentary program that featured the best of CBC's foreign correspondents and freelancers. The program, which aired every week for 12 seasons, promised listeners it would "bring you the world."

He was later an editor for World At Six, where he was famous for his knowledge of the news.

Finlay retired from CBC in 2010 after working at the public broadcaster for 31 years.

In the afternoon of Jan. 24, Finlay was assaulted by a stranger as he walked along Danforth Avenue, a busy thoroughfare known for its many shops and restaurants, Toronto police say.

Though they did not identify Finlay by name, police said in a news release that the victim in the attack fell to the ground and suffered serious injuries as a result. 

They described the suspect as a man in his 20s, about six feet tall with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a red paper mask with flames on it, according to police, as well as a black sweater and black pants. He left the area on foot following the attack. (CBC)