reclaimthenet on Nostr: Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer, Greg Essensa, wants sweeping new powers to ...
Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer, Greg Essensa, wants sweeping new powers to control "misinformation" in elections. In his recent report, Essensa pushed for aggressive censorship tools: fast-track takedowns of content labeled as "false," fines as high as $100,000 for companies, and labeling mandates for automated ads.
Essensa's justification? AI-driven misinformation. He claims AI is “accelerating” the spread of false information—never mind that we’ve had deceptive campaign tactics forever. But instead of addressing the known causes of fraud or classic spam, he argues that new tech like AI somehow makes misinformation more dangerous, faster, and unstoppable. His stance is that fact-checking can't keep up, so he needs the power to censor quickly and heavily.
Behind the curtain, though, it’s clear: Essensa’s proposals are a play to curb free expression in the name of "safety." Just like in the US, Canadian officials are now framing unregulated speech as a looming AI threat, pushing for stronger control over the conversation.
Essensa's justification? AI-driven misinformation. He claims AI is “accelerating” the spread of false information—never mind that we’ve had deceptive campaign tactics forever. But instead of addressing the known causes of fraud or classic spam, he argues that new tech like AI somehow makes misinformation more dangerous, faster, and unstoppable. His stance is that fact-checking can't keep up, so he needs the power to censor quickly and heavily.
Behind the curtain, though, it’s clear: Essensa’s proposals are a play to curb free expression in the name of "safety." Just like in the US, Canadian officials are now framing unregulated speech as a looming AI threat, pushing for stronger control over the conversation.