Evidence of meeting #97 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was content.
A video is available from Parliament.
December 13th, 2023 / 5:55 p.m.
Head of Canada Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google and YouTube, Google Canada
I'm not certain about the precise wording. I would say that we have recognized our responsibility to all partners and users on our platform to have a safe platform for all—
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
Who are these partners and users? Are you just talking about the users, the average Canadian who has a Gmail account, a YouTube account, etc.? They're all linked together with all of their data stored in one spot. We don't know exactly where that data is stored.
Are you talking about those people, or are you talking about third party contractors with whom you would potentially be partnering to provide these services to Canadians as well?
Head of Canada Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google and YouTube, Google Canada
Our responsibility is to all of our partners, whether that is our creators on YouTube, the users of YouTube or advertisers on YouTube. We have built a model where responsibility underpins the entire framework. That is really at its core, how we keep our platform safe for everyone, whether they're in Canada or around the world.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
Thank you. I appreciate that.
I have the same question for X. Do you have a responsibility and a duty to protect Canadians who use your platform?
Head of Government Affairs, United States of America and Canada, X Corporation
Yes. As the town square, we want people to be able to participate safely in public conversation.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
In a town square, there are often opportunities for mobs to gather. If we're making that analogy, do you, as the owner of the platform, have a responsibility to provide a safe space for Canadians to partake in a public square kind of atmosphere, one that is filled with real information, safe from misinformation and safe from disinformation?
Head of Government Affairs, United States of America and Canada, X Corporation
Yes, the accuracy of information is of utmost importance. The community notes—
Liberal
Head of Government Affairs, United States of America and Canada, X Corporation
Absolutely. Abuse and harassment have no place in a town square.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
I pose to you this: What are you going to do to protect Canadians who are suffering? How are we going to maintain the rights of Canadians, especially those who are of minor age, on the platform that you provide and that so many of us use?
Head of Government Affairs, United States of America and Canada, X Corporation
We'll continue to rigorously enforce all of our policies that help keep them safe, especially minors.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
Do you think that you also have an obligation to work with governments to create that safe space, all levels of government and community partners?
Head of Government Affairs, United States of America and Canada, X Corporation
Sure. Compliance with laws all around the world is essential. We want to be thoughtful partners in complying with the laws of different lands, absolutely.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
I think this is going to be my last question.
There was a question that was asked earlier about foreign governments accessing Canadian data. I forget which one of you said that lawful requests of foreign governments seeking access to Canadian data are allowed.
Can you please define what lawful requests of a foreign government accessing Canadian data would be?
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
I don't remember who it was.
I would like, perhaps, brief answers from everybody, if that's okay.
Liberal
Head of Security Policy, Meta Platforms Inc.
Whenever we receive a request from law enforcement or governments around the world.... There are a number of international legal frameworks that enable governments to make lawful requests of platforms and of other organizations for information across borders. We review those requests carefully. We push back—
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
I'm sorry; I'm going to stop you right there. I'm just looking for a definition of what “lawful request” means. If you can provide that in writing, that would be great.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
I'm going to suggest that all three of our guests provide that in writing to the clerk. I think it's a really important question that needs to be answered.
Thank you, Ms. Khalid.
Mr. Villemure, you have the floor for five minutes.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Curran, don't worry, I'm going to talk to your colleagues.
Mr. Harris, on the subject of foreign interference, could you tell us something we haven't heard here yet?
Senior Privacy and Data Protection Counsel, X Corporation
I'm sorry; I want to make sure that I understand the question. Foreign interference in regard to...?
Bloc
Senior Privacy and Data Protection Counsel, X Corporation
We have a series of policies that we've discussed at some length today. It involves the protection of all users, including Canadian users, from any outside interference with their data, whether that's illegal hacking activity—