Law Bytes

Hosted by Michael Geist

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Episodes

235

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

In recent years the intersection between law, technology, and policy has exploded as digital policy has become a mainstream concern in Canada and around the world. This podcast explores digital policies in conversations with people studying the legal and policy challenges, set the rules, or are experts in the field. It provides a Canadian perspective, but since the internet is global, examining international developments and Canada’s role in shaping global digital policy is be an important part of the story. Lawbytes is hosted by Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law and where he is a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 9, 202638 min

Episode 282: Udbhav Tiwari on Why Signal May Exit Canada Over Bill C-22’s Encryption and Metadata Retention Rules

A Senate committee has begun hearings into Bill C-22, the government’s lawful access bill that requires a wide range of services to disclose subscriber information, retain metadata for months, and install government-mandated surveillance capabilities. In response, a growing number of companies have said they cannot comply and would exit Canada or withdraw services from the country. One of the best known companies on that list is Signal, the popular messaging app with billions of users worldwide relying on its app and protocols to ensure secure, private communications. Udbhav Tiwari is Signal’s VP Strategy and Global Affairs. He joins me on the Law Bytes podcast to break down Bill C-22, explain what concerns remain, and discuss next steps if the bill remains unchanged.

November 2, 202635 min

Episode 281: Mikołaj Barczentewicz on Europe’s Digital Sovereignty Push, CADA, and the Implications for Canada

Canada’s pivot to Europe took another step at last week’s Canada-EU summit in Montreal, where the two sides launched what they call an “Alliance for the Future.” The announcements ranged from critical minerals and firefighting aircraft to supercomputing and payment systems. The digital commitments received less attention, but they raise many of the same sovereignty questions that have dominated the Canada-U.S. relationship this year. Indeed, the leaders committed to reciprocal access to each other’s cloud and AI markets and concluded Canada’s first Digital Trade Agreement. Mikołaj Barczentewicz is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Surrey, where he is research director of the Surrey Law and Technology Hub, and a Senior Scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics. His recent work has examined how the EU has addressed cloud and AI policy and what it means for its allies. He joins me on the podcast to discuss Europe’s digital sovereignty push, its proposed Cloud and AI Development Act, and the implications for Canada.

October 26, 202628 min

Episode 280: A Fall Update on Where Things Stand on Canadian Digital Policy Reforms

Parliament is back in full swing and with it debate on a wide range of digital bills, including lawful access, social media rules, AI regulation, and privacy reform. This week’s Law Bytes podcast provides an update on recent developments and highlights what to watch for in the weeks ahead as both the Senate and House launch hearings on high-profile digital legislation.

October 19, 202627 min

Episode 279: My Keynote on Digital Sovereignty: Control, Choice, and Connection

The Lawbytes podcast returns after a brief hiatus in late summer and early fall by turning to the debate on data and digital sovereignty. Last week, I was pleased to deliver the dinner keynote speech at the NREN Assembly, an annual gathering hosted by CANARIE that brings together staff and leadership from CANARIE and all thirteen provincial and territorial partners of Canada’s National Research and Education Network. With their kind permission, this week’s episode features the keynote in full, titled Digital Sovereignty: Control, Choice, and Connection.

August 10, 202634 min

Episode 278: Ben Waldman on Gander Social and the Challenges of Building a Sovereign Social Network

Sovereignty, whether digital sovereignty, data sovereignty, or AI sovereignty, has been the hot-button issue in Canada for months. Governments have shifted policies in hopes of addressing the issue, the public has expressed interest in Canadian alternatives, and the business community has rushed to meet that interest. But what does it actually take to create a true, sovereign alternative? We now have a live experiment with Gander , a new social network that looks a bit like X or BlueSky, but with data sovereignty. The company has worked to ensure that data remains in Canadian control and developed identity systems that may offer a preview of what’s to come if the social media ban takes hold. Leading the way has been Ben Waldman , Gander’s co-founder and CEO. He joins the Law Bytes podcast this week to talk about Gander’s origin story and to walk through the real-world challenges of creating a sovereign social network.

July 27, 202646 min

Episode 277: Kate Robertson on the Risks That Lie Behind Canada's Unexpected Signing of the UN Cybercrime Convention

The Canadian government’s surprise decision to sign the UN Cybercrime Convention has sparked many questions about the convention, its risks, and what changed over the past nine months between Canada no-showing the signing in Vietnam and this month’s reversal. To help answer those questions, there is no one better than Kate Robertson, a senior research associate at the Citizen Lab, who has been vocal on the convention since negotiations began years ago. She joins the Law Bytes podcast to discuss her concerns and how the Convention fits within the broader global political and policing frameworks.

July 20, 202633 min

Episode 276: Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard on Canada’s Access to Information Failures and Why Access Delayed is Access Denied

Despite repeated studies and promises for reform, Canada’s access to information system has long been plagued by long delays, overbroad exclusions, insufficient resources, and an Information Commissioner without the resources and powers needed to fully ensure compliance. The government is currently undertaking yet another reform process as the Treasury Board has released proposed changes. They’ve left Caroline Maynard, Canada’s Information Commissioner, largely unimpressed. She is relieved the government is open to change, but warns that the approaches “lack ambition” and, more pointedly, that the review “must not become a justification for further secrecy.” Commissioner Maynard joins the Law Bytes podcast to walk through her concerns with the government’s plans and her proposals for improving Canada’s access to information law.

July 6, 202631 min

Episode 275: David Loukidelis on Why Stripping Privacy Enforcement from Canada’s Privacy Commissioner in Bill C-36 is Unnecessarily Risky Policy

The government’s privacy reform bill was supposed to earn applause for its effort to modernize outdated rules and provide Canadians with stronger privacy protections. Yet the decision to strip the Privacy Commissioner of Canada of responsibility for private-sector privacy law and shift that responsibility to the Digital Safety Commission has sparked widespread concern among Canadian privacy experts. This week’s Law Bytes podcast speaks to David Loukidelis, one of Canada’s best-regarded former privacy commissioners. Loukidelis served as BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner from 1999 to 2010, where he was responsible for the enforcement of BC's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Personal Information Protection Act, which came into force in 2004. He joins me on the podcast to share his thoughts on the enforcement changes in the bill and what it may mean for privacy in Canada.

June 29, 202632 min

Episode 274: Mark Musselman on What Stakeholders Really Think About the Government’s Reversal of the CRTC Online Streaming Act Decision

Earlier this month, the government shocked the culture sector by announcing it was effectively reversing the CRTC decision that implemented the Online Streaming Act. Culture Minister Marc Miller tried to cushion the blow with a promise of $600 million in support for the audio and audiovisual sectors, but there was no escaping the anger from some over abandoning a policy that had been years in the making. Mark Musselman is a former entertainment lawyer, longtime Canadian movie producer, and the author of the excellent White Paper Black Coffee Substack. He returns to the Law Bytes podcast to discuss the reversal, the stakeholder reaction, and the challenges that lie ahead.

June 22, 202628 min

Episode 273: Rebroadcast of the Globe and Mail’s The Decibel on Canada’s First Steps Towards a Social Media Ban

Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, has quickly become a lightning rod for debate since its introduction earlier this month. The issue that invariably tops the list is the kids’ social media ban. Bill C-34, along with the recently introduced Bill C-36, will be covered from multiple angles in the weeks ahead. For the moment, I am pleased to rebroadcast a recent episode of the Globe and Mail’s The Decibel podcast. I was invited to appear on the program, where I was interviewed by Sherrill Sutherland about Bill C-34, the ban, and online harms and safety more broadly. I am grateful to the Globe for granting permission to rebroadcast the episode on my podcast uncut, in its entirety.