Canada’s CDRF fits a wider playbook for digital regulation
This academic paper analyzes the emergence and function of 'digital regulators forums' in Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, the UK, and Australia. These forums, which bring together competition, privacy, and communications regulators, aim to create a coordinated approach to governing online platforms within domestic digital sectors. The paper discusses their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for success, including increased transparency and global partnerships.
Key Takeaways
- The UK launched the first digital regulators forum, the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, on July 1, 2020.
- Canada’s Canadian Digital Regulators Forum was formed in 2023 and includes the Competition Bureau, CRTC, Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and Copyright Board of Canada.
- The paper says the UK and Australia have dedicated websites for their forums, while Ireland has no website and Canada relies on linked Government of Canada pages.
- No joint regulation by a digital regulators forum had occurred at the time of the paper’s research.
- The paper says the International Network for Digital Regulation Cooperation, led by the UK’s DRCF, includes Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada, and the UK.
Why It Matters
These forums are an attempt to coordinate regulators that usually operate in separate lanes, which matters because online platforms cut across competition, privacy, communications, and copyright. In Canada’s case, the CDRF is still early and the paper flags weak information-sharing foundations, including reliance on terms of reference rather than a dedicated public website. The broader ecosystem angle is that these forums are already networking internationally through the INDRC and an OECD workshop. What to watch: whether Canada adds a dedicated CDRF site or expands the forum’s formal agreements beyond the current MoU and terms of reference.
Read full article at crtc.gc.ca
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