Canada may regulate social media firms ahead of elections – minister

The major social media companies are not doing enough to help Canada combat potential foreign meddling in its elections this October and the government might have to regulate them, Ottawa warned on Monday. Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould made the statement shortly after Canada’s electronic signals spy agency said it was very likely that foreign actors will try to meddle in the election, Reuters reports. Gould expects Facebook, Twitter and Google to help safeguard the vote by promoting “transparency, authenticity, and integrity on their platforms,” saying she has been disappointed by the slow pace of talks with the companies. Asked whether Ottawa could regulate the companies, Gould said Canada would “need to look at other mechanisms” if it did not see enough progress. The minister noted that Britain had proposed a new social media regulator on Monday.