The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) says a December survey found that 70 per cent of Canadians are concerned that fake news could affect the outcome of this year’s federal election, with the majority in favour of government fines for social media companies that don’t take steps to remove fake news from their platforms. Released Tuesday, the CIRA report takes the temperature of Canadians on the internet and fake news, privacy, cybersecurity and access. Based on a survey of over 1,200 Canadian internet users, the survey found that traditional media sources, including newspapers, TV broadcasters and radio remain among the most trusted sources of information/news in Canada. 75 per cent of those surveyed said they have encountered fake news, with 57 per cent reporting they’d been taken in by a fake news item. While eight in 10 Canadians are confident in their ability to recognize fake news stories online, just one quarter are very confident. The report concludes that Canadians must be better skilled at recognizing fake news online and to accomplish that more investment in digital and media literacy is required. 83 per cent of respondents believe public schools should be teaching more media literacy skills. 68 per cent of those surveyed believe media outlets and broadcasters have a key role to play in countering fake news that is spreading online.
YouTube is the mobile king according to Sandvine’s 2018 Global Internet Phenomena Report. The video sharing platform now accounts for over 35 per cent of worldwide mobile traffic, dwarfing Netflix’s 15 per cent share. YouTube was consistently the top source of traffic in each region surveyed. In regions where Netflix is highly ranked, data plans are more likely to be unlimited. The report also indicates Facebook and Instagram are both top drivers in the mobile space from both a volume as well as an engagement point of view. Multiple Facebook properties (Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp) appear as top 10 contributors to overall downstream and upstream traffic, while messaging apps continue to replace traditional SMS. The report says the popularity of WhatsApp, LINE, Snapchat, and Facebook in the top 10 was consistent.
Nokia has enlisted Shaftesbury to produce Futurithmic, a six-part original documentary series that explores the big societal changes expected to result from 5G networks, artificial intelligence, and automation. Hosted by veteran news reporter Michael Hainsworth (BNN), Futurithmic is part of the company’s “social-first” marketing approach to reaching everyone who wants to leverage 5G-enabled capabilities like AI to help their run their business more efficiently and develop new revenue opportunities. The first episode of Futurithmic, featuring thought leader and author Galit Ariel, is available on Futurithmic.com and YouTube. Additional episodes will be released monthly through July.
Leah Cameron and Natalie Novak, the filmmakers behind web series The Communist’s Daughter which won the Just for Laughs Comedy PRO Pitch Competition in July, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the web series. Set in 1980s, Reagan-era Toronto, the series is loosely based on Cameron’s own upbringing, following the teenage daughter of two Communists who struggles to fit in their conservative neighbourhood. So far, the campaign has raised about $10,000 of its $33,000 goal. Along with executive producer Lauren Corber, the group has already secured $150,000 of equity financing through the Independent Production Fund (IPF).
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