Professor Shaheen Shariff Interviewed about Canada's Proposed Online Harms Bill

Professor Shaheen Shariff, James McGill Professor and Director of iMPACTS, was interviewed by Mike Farwell for CityNews 570, a radio station based out of Kitchener, Ontario, to discuss Canada's recently proposed online harms bill.  

In the interview, Professor Shariff expressed concerns about the potential changes to the Criminal Code, including the penalties associated with hate crimes. Professor Shariff also talked about the unintended consequences this bill could have, as serious offenders of online hate may be encouraged to leave more public-facing websites and go deeper into the dark web, thereby making it more difficult to prosecute them.  

Professor Shariff emphasized the intersectionality of discrimination and hate, calling attention to how certain populations can face greater impacts and be more marginalized than others. As such, Professor Shariff advocated for additional education about and the reining in of mis/disinformation online so that Canadians are better able to engage in civil dialogue about important issues happening in society. 

Click here to listen to Professor Shariff's full radio interview.