Myanmar junta accuses foreign media of 'persistent bias'

(Reuters) - Myanmar's military government complained on Monday of biased coverage by foreign media, which it said was misreporting events in the country and being swayed by distorted information from "terrorists" determined to create instability.

 Soldiers stand next to military vehicles as people gather to protest against the military coup, in Yangon

In a rare statement, the State Administrative Council (SAC), as the junta is known, said it was a friend to the media and international community, but those were misrepresenting its efforts to ensure peace and protect its citizens.

"What we find troubling is the clear and persistent bias of certain foreign media towards terrorist groups. But these media are doing so without fully ascertaining the facts," its information ministry said.

"The terrorists appear to have swayed sections of the foreign media who report without checking, and repeat misinformation as truth."

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a coup a year ago, with at least 1,500 civilians killed by security forces, according to activists cited by the United Nations, which the junta has also accused of bias.

The military has been battling militias allied with a parallel National Unity Government (NUG), which last year called for a nationwide revolt and has been outlawed by the junta.

State media coverage of the unrest has been rare, but the military has denied committing atrocities.

The SAC on Monday said 4,338 "terrorists" had been arrested overall, but nearly 49,000 people prosecuted for joining anti-coup protests had been released.

It did not mention military casualties but said 95 civil servants and 20 monks had been killed, while 525 roads and bridges, 27 hospitals, 504 schools and educational facilities had been destroyed, during 9,437 attacks.

The SAC's statement made no mention of a peace process it has committed to with its Southeast Asian neighbours, but said it would hold an election by August next year.

It urged media to recognise "the return to normalcy in all major towns and cities".

Nay Phone Latt, a senior member of the ruling party ousted by the military and a representative of the NUG, defended the integrity of the press and said armed resistance was justified.

"The people are in a defensive war with SAC members who arrest, torture and kill civilians and burn down peoples' houses," Nay Phone Latt told Reuters.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)

How an Indian company is transforming palm leaves into tableware

By Dan Tham, CNN Business

It's time for lunch in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and locals are crowding at Prahalad Tiffin Point, a popular roadside eatery serving regional staples like dosa and idli.

© Vijay Bedi Colorful plates on display at Bollant's retail store in Hyderabad. The company sells its products to around 200 small and medium enterprises across India.

In the shade of the awning, customers eat standing up. They're perhaps unaware that the paper plates they're using are made of palm leaves.

The plates are produced by Bollant Industries, a local company that makes eco-friendly and disposable products and packaging from the fallen leaves of areca, a species of palm, as well as recycled paper.

"I call myself a waste person, because I really love waste," CEO Srikanth Bolla says. "I want to recycle all the waste that I can in this world"

Now aged 30, Bolla, who has been blind since birth, founded the company in 2012 to pioneer sustainability and to provide jobs for people with disabilities. His company currently employs around 400 people, a quarter of whom have disabilities, Bolla says. "Our core vision is to employ as many people as possible who are at the margins of society," Bolla says.

© Vijay Bedi Kavala Krishnaiah, whose legs are not fully formed due to polio, makes disposable plates and bowls at Bollant Industries' manufacturing unit.

His efforts have attracted attention: In 2021, the World Economic Forum named Bolla one of its Young Global Leaders and a Bollywood biopic about him starring actor Rajkummar Rao is in the works.

Valued at $65 million, with funding from investors including Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, Bollant Industries operates seven manufacturing plants, producing hundreds of tons of products each month, ranging from tableware to packaging.

It's part of a wider shift in India, as the country transitions away from single-use plastic to embrace more sustainable alternatives.

Eliminating single-use plastics

On Indian Independence Day in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to phase out single-use plastic.

That ban, targeting plastics that have "low utility and high littering potential," is slated to take effect this summer. It will prohibit the manufacture and import of plastic ear buds, plastic flags, and lightweight plastic bags and cutlery, among other items.

India's plastic waste problem has grown in recent times. The country's Central Pollution Control Board says that per capita plastic waste generation in India has almost doubled in the last five years. According to the United Nations Development Program in India, the country generates 15 million metric tons of plastic waste each year.

Critics of the single-use plastics ban, however, cite a poor recycling infrastructure, relative lack of plastic alternatives, and enforcement challenges as potential barriers to success.

Priti Mahesh, the chief program coordinator at Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy NGO in Delhi, says, "Yes, there's a ban, but has there been any concrete measure to identify alternatives [to plastic]? And what is done to enforce this ban on the ground will be a question."

For Bolla, an outright ban on single-use plastics is not the best solution. He says that subsidies are needed to encourage manufacturers to develop new alternatives.

"Plastic is such a versatile, flexible material," he says, "So we should shift to making plastic using biodegradable polymers. This is the only way we can tackle plastic pollution."


"We are ready for the big shift"

To make its plastic alternative products, Bollant purchases fallen areca leaves collected by farmers in the neighboring state of Karnataka and acquires used paper from local paper mills. At its manufacturing unit, staff operate hand presses to transform the leaves into cutlery and tableware, and the used paper into colorful plates.

Bollant sells its products to around 200 small and medium enterprises, like Prahalad Tiffin Point, across India. Bolla says he hopes to export his line of products to the US and Europe in the future.

Bollant is not the only Indian company innovating in this space. Delhi-based Ecoware converts agricultural waste like sugarcane residue into compostable tableware, and Biogreen in Bangalore manufactures biodegradable bags derived from corn starch.

These startups are part of an expanding market. According to market research firm Valuates Reports, India is expected to be the fastest-growing market for biodegradable plastics, anticipated to grow to almost $9 billion globally by the end of 2025.

Bollant Industries is currently expanding its range and developing a biodegradable product which can be used, instead of plastic, to coat and waterproof paper products. "We are ready for the big shift," says Bolla.

2 Daily Beast Reporters Shot in Ukraine as Vehicle Sprayed With Gunfire

Jeremy Fuster 

 17 hrs ago

The Daily Beast reported on Sunday that two of their reporters covering the invasion in Ukraine were shot while on the ground in the northeast region of the country, though both are in stable condition

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© Provided by TheWrap ukraine Stefan Weichert Emil Filtenborg Daily Beast

Danish correspondents Emil Filtenborg and Stefan Weichert both sustained injuries from gunfire despite wearing bulletproof equipment, with Weichert, 31, suffering a shoulder wound while Filtenborg, 30, suffered multiple wounds including one in his right leg.

The incident occurred while the two reporters were driving near the northeast town of Okhtyrka. Their vehicle was hit with a spray of gunfire, but the pair was able to drive to a hospital despite bleeding profusely.

"The car was a complete wreck, so even though Emil was hit by three bullets and I was hit by one we are extremely lucky that nothing was fatal," Weichert told the Beast. "We were wearing bulletproof vests in the car but despite that we were extremely lucky that it didn't hit any organs."

"Both of us are in a stable condition, we are not in too much pain we are hopeful that this is going to end on a happy note," Filtenborg added. "We have received a lot of messages from friends and families and colleagues and staff members of places we have worked for in the past and we are very grateful for all of them. Naturally our focus is to get to safety and get back in shape."

Weichert and Filtenborg are freelance war journalists who live in Kyiv and are filing reports for Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet along with The Daily Beast. They previously covered the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict for the Beast in 2020.

On Instagram, Filtenborg posted a since-deleted picture of his leg injury while recovering in the hospital with the caption, "S— day at work."

‘CODA’ Star Troy Kotsur Is The First Deaf Actor To Win A Solo SAG Award: ‘I’m Finally Part Of The Family’

Shakiel Mahjouri 

© Photo: Amy Sussman/WireImage Troy Kotsur

Troy Kotsur achieved a first at the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards when he laid claim to Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on "CODA".

Kotsur became the first deaf actor in SAG Awards history to win an individual prize. The "CODA" actor came out ahead of Ben Affleck ("The Tender Bar"), Bradley Cooper ("Licorice Pizza"), Jared Letto ("House of Gucci") and Kodi Smit-McPhee ("The Power of the Dog").

“Wow. Thank you so much to all the members of SAG. I am so proud to be a member. I’ve been a member since 2001, and so now I feel like I’m finally part of the family,” Kotsur said via an interpreter, per Deadline. “I know you all are artists, and I know you all know what it’s like to be a starving actor.

"Back then, I used to sleep in my car. I slept in my dressing room backstage, I couch-surfed and all of that, you feel me, right? So, thank you so much. I’m so grateful to SAG [for protecting] us actors.”

Kotsur starred alongside Emilia Jones, Daniel Durant and Marlee Matlin in director Sian Heder's "CODA".

How Zelensky changed the West's response to Russia

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN 

Five days into Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his courageous nation have already done more to transform the West's policy toward Russia than 30 years of post-Cold War summits, policy resets and showdowns with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

© Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a statement in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 25, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout

The Ukrainian leader's defiance has inspired and shamed the United States and the European Union into going far further -- and far faster -- in turning Russia into a pariah state than it appeared they were ready to go. By promising weapons and ammunition to Zelensky, 44, the West appears increasingly to be drawn into a possible proxy war with Moscow over Ukraine, even though it is not a NATO member that benefits from the bloc's direct mutual defense agreements.

After insisting last week that sanctions would be graded on a rising curve based on Russian behavior, Washington and its allies have now rushed to personally sanction Putin and have kicked key Russian banks out of the vital SWIFT global financial network. In the most extraordinary shift, Germany, under new Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has pledged to exceed NATO targets for defense spending and has overcome its reticence to send weapons to war zones by vowing to arm Ukrainians fighting Russia's troops. Germany also halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing vitally needed Russian gas to Western Europe. In another striking moment, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Putin protege, has sided with fellow European Union leaders against the Russians. Another autocrat, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had warm ties with Putin, has invoked a 1930s convention that could complicate Russia's Black Sea naval operations.

And Britain, after long turning a blind eye to oligarch wealth laundered through swank property in London, is belatedly declaring, in the words of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, "There is no place for dirty money in the UK." Even ex-President Donald Trump, who spent last week fawning over Putin's "genius" as the invasion unfolded, felt compelled on Saturday to honor the bravery of Zelensky, whom he once tried to extort using US aid in a telephone call that led to his first impeachment.

The Ukrainian President's heroism has also touched people across the world and set off a torrent of smaller gestures of support. Formula One and European football chiefs have stripped Russia of showpiece events. Russian ballet performances have been canceled in the UK. And some US states are pulling Russian-made vodka off the shelves.

Zelensky's emotional appeal

The significant stiffening of the global front against Russia over the weekend followed increasingly fervent calls by Zelensky for help. European leaders reported that in a call with them last week, he had said he didn't know how long he or his country had left.

Few outsiders expected Zelensky, a former comic actor who, to the frustration of US officials, ignored or downplayed US warnings of an imminent invasion for weeks, would morph into a leader to match this moment in his country's history. His dismissiveness changed a few days before the invasion when he made increasingly heart-rending appeals for help. His earlier reticence may have left many of his countrymen unprepared for the agony that was about to unfold.

Still, under the most extreme circumstances, Zelensky is ironically displaying the very values -- including a staunch defense of democracy -- that would qualify Ukraine for membership in both the European Union and NATO, a path Putin tried to close off with his invasion.

"They are one of us and we want them in," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with Euronews on Sunday, referring to Ukraine.

Zelensky is not just creating a historic legend for himself, in standing up to tyranny in a manner that places him alongside famed Cold War dissidents like Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and Imre Nagy, the executed leader of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the Warsaw Pact. He is offering the kind of inspirational leadership that has often been lacking during a pandemic that saw some leaders put their political goals above the public good and refuse to follow the public health rules they imposed on their people. Unlike former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul when the Taliban bore down on the capital last summer, Zelensky is resolved to stay and fight -- and possibly to die with his people.

He has become the rarest of leaders -- synonymous with the mood and character of his people at a pivotal moment in history while willing them to ever greater national efforts like British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II or George Washington during and after the American revolution.

In what has already become an iconic comment, Zelensky has rejected American offers of an exit to safety, telling the US, according to his country's embassy in Britain, "The fight is here. I need ammunition. Not a ride."

In another poignant message on Sunday, the Ukrainian President warned the rest of the world that although he and his country were in the firing line, he was waging a fight on behalf of worldwide democracy and freedom.

"Ukrainians have manifested the courage to defend their homeland and save Europe and its values from a Russian onslaught," he said.

"This is not just Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is the beginning of a war against Europe, against European structures, against democracy, against basic human rights, against a global order of law, rules and peaceful coexistence."

An alarming twist in the crisis

Zelensky's comments came as the Ukraine crisis took an even more alarming turn.

Putin, lashing out at NATO leaders, put Russia's deterrence forces -- including nuclear weapons -- on high alert. The move may have been designed to frighten the West, but it also heightened fears of an escalation to truly alarming levels.

Putin's nuclear rhetoric came as he appeared ever more isolated, with his forces bogged down on the roads to Kyiv and scenes of burned-out convoys hinting at the strength of Ukrainian resistance.

There's never been a greater need for Putin to be provided with some kind of diplomatic off-ramp from the crisis. But neither Western leaders nor Ukrainians have high hopes for talks planned for Monday between officials from Kyiv and Moscow on the border with Belarus.

And Monday's expected crash of the Russian currency, the ruble, on the back of international sanctions could further pile political pressure on Putin and worsen his volatile mood.

A foreboding moment looms

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is, more than anything, the result of one man's obsession with the fall of the Soviet Union, the shape of the post-Cold War world and perceived disrespect for Russia's pretensions as a great power. But if Putin initiated the crisis, it is the behavior of Zelensky that has driven the response of the rest of the world -- often using social media hits that have made the Russian propaganda machine seem flat footed.

But the question must be asked whether the response is all coming too late for Ukraine.

A three-mile-long Russian column was spotted in satellite imagery on the road to Kyiv on Sunday, fueling dread about a possible assault on the capital that would put civilians in the direct firing line and swell the already high civilian death toll, which local authorities put at 352 on Sunday. Western leaders say that it will take time for sanctions to begin to inflict pain on Putin, the oligarchs who support him and the Russian people. But Ukraine may have days, not weeks, left as an independent nation.

The Ukrainian President's survival is taking on more importance for the rest of the world too. The tough slog Russian forces have faced underscores the difficulty Russia would have in subjugating a nation the size of France under occupation. A partitioned Ukraine and a full-scale insurgency would be far more effective with Zelensky as a figurehead. His new influence in global capitals and capacity to mobilize political heat on foreign leaders could be invaluable to the Ukrainian cause, which is why an eventual flight from Kyiv might be essential for his country's hopes of liberation.

But Zelensky and thousands of his fellow Ukrainians know they may be living on borrowed time. Putin appears to be backed into a corner, making it all the more urgent for him to quickly and decisively end the conflict. The Russian leader, who has falsely demeaned Zelensky and his compatriots as Nazis, has a record of scorched-earth responses that pay little heed to civilian losses. Russia's utter destruction of the Chechen capital, Grozny, in its ruthless effort to crush separatists may hold some foreboding omens for Kyiv in the coming days.

And Zelensky's extraordinary success so far is only making him a more valuable target for Russia. Moscow may reason that if he is captured or killed, Ukrainian morale and resistance could collapse.

The evidence of the last few days, however, makes that a questionable proposition.

CRIMINAL CYBER CAPITALI$M

Netanyahu trial fight over Pegasus goes into high gear

By YONAH JEREMY BOB 
 The Jerusalem Post

© (photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS) 

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU seen at Jerusalem District Court during his trial.

Lawyers in the public corruption trial of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed their fight over the impact of the Pegasus police spying allegations on the case before the Jerusalem District Court on Monday.

In early February, when the spying scandal allegations broke out, the case was paused in the middle of the testimony of prosecution witness Cable Authority legal adviser Dana Neufeld, who was testifying about the legality of the Bezeq-YES merger at the center of the Case 4000 media bribery allegations.

At the time, lawyers for the defense claimed that the entire trial should be canceled or at least halted for an extended period in order to dig into the allegations against the police for spying.

Since then, However, the Netanyahu prosecution team as well as the broader review performed by Deputy Attorney-General Amit Merari along with Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officials last week, found that there was no broad conspiracy and no wide-ranging law-breaking by the police.

The prosecution team did admit to hacking the cell phone of former top Netanyahu aide turned state's witness Shlomo Filber and to trying to with the cell phone of defendant Iris Elovitch, wife of Bezeq and Walla owner Shaul Elovitch. They also admitted to considering hacking the cell phone of a third party witness in the case – who, based on the description, is likely former top Netanyahu aide turned state's witness Ari Harow

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© Provided by The Jerusalem Post

 FORMER ISRAELI police commissioner Roni Alsheich during a visit to the Western Wall in 2016. It was during Alsheich’s tenure that spyware became increasingly used by the police (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)

At this point, the debate is expected to at least partially revolve around whether the hacking of Filber's cell phone was a sufficient violation to lead to invalidating aspects of his testimony and related evidence.

The prosecution has argued that the hacking was connected to an earlier court order which gave them physical access to his cell phone, such that even if the hacking went beyond the court order, it was not a significant violation.

In addition, they argue that nothing which the police cyber unit collected during the hacking was used for the purposes of the indictment.

If true, this could help overcome the defense's attempt to invalidate Filber-related evidence.

Elovitch lawyer Jacques Chen said on Monday that it was crucial for the court to consider that the Merari report was based on an initial review performed by the police checking itself.

Chen said this was an improper method that harms the validity of the report.

Further, he said that Filber decided to flip into being a state's witness shortly after the cell phone hacking took place on February 15, 2018, such that the claim that the hacking had no impact on the case was nonsensical.

He slammed the prosecution for arguing that it does not need to fully give over evidence related to Filber and the hacking.

The prosecution has issued two confidential declarations, on February 16 and 24, noting materials for the defense that it does not plan to turn over either because it is classified or is not relevant to the legal defense team's case.

About 150 Ukrainian tourists stage anti-war protest in Sri Lanka

By Uditha Jayasinghe

© Reuters/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE 

Ukrainian tourists in Sri Lanka protests against Russia's military attacks in Ukraine

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Ukrainian tourists staged an anti-war protest outside Russia's embassy in Sri Lanka on Monday, and the country's tourism minister said the government would consider visa extensions for visitors from Ukraine.

There are nearly 4,000 Ukrainians in Sri Lanka, which is desperate to attract tourists to offset a growing domestic economic crisis, Tourism Minster Prasanna Ranatunge said.

© Reuters/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE Ukrainian tourists in Sri Lanka protests against Russia's military attacks in Ukraine

"I will be presenting a note to the cabinet meeting asking for their visas to be extended," Ranatunge told Reuters, referring to a meeting scheduled to be held on Monday.

© Reuters/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE

 Ukrainian tourists protest against Russia invasion of Ukraine in Colombo

Flights in and out of Ukraine have been stalled after Ukrainian airspace closed to civilian users since last week.

Holding balloons in their country's national colours and hand-written posters, about 150 Ukrainians gathered outside the Russian embassy in Sri Lanka's main city of Colombo.

© Reuters/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE

 Ukrainian tourists protest against Russia invasion of Ukraine in Colombo

The protests come as fighting in Ukraine reached a fifth day following Russia's invasion, which Moscow calls a special operation, the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two

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© Reuters/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE

 Ukrainian tourists protest against Russia invasion of Ukraine in Colombo

"My people currently in Ukraine are being killed by Russian invaders," said Hanna Elena, 27, adding that she had been unable to contact some family members and friends back home. "Russian people, please go out on the streets," said Elena, "If all of you can take action, things can change."

On Sunday, a protest monitoring group in Russia said that more than 2,000 people had been detained by police after anti-war demonstrations across 48 cities.

(Additional reporting by Dinuka Liyanawatte; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Israeli FM staff working under fire in Ukraine, while fighting for rights at home

By TOVAH LAZAROFF 

 Foreign Ministry workers protesting their work conditions, January 2, 2022.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry staff is working under fire in Ukraine, even as their union in Jerusalem is fighting for an increase in salary.

At issue is a 2017 agreement between the union and the Finance Ministry’s Salary and Employment Agreements Department to raise salaries in the Foreign Ministry, for the first time since 2000.

In reality, the union has said payment for the expenses of diplomats posted abroad has been cut resulting in them earning less than before.

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee held a hearing on Sunday in advance of a meeting with the Finance Ministry and the Treasury later this week.

Yosef Levi-Sfari, representing the workers, told the committee that an average Foreign Ministry salary was NIS 6,000-7,000, including for those who had served in Israeli missions abroad

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 Provided by The Jerusalem Post

 Smoke rising after shelling on the outskirts of the city is pictured from Kyiv, Ukraine February 27, 2022. 

(credit: Mykhailo Markiv/Reuters)

Such a low pay grade, Levi-Sfari said, harms the Foreign Ministry’s ability to attract the next generation, who fail to see a future for themselves, and that staff salary abroad also needs to be upgraded and is insufficient to provide for the needs of a family.

Nor, said Levi-Sfari, does it take into account that in quite a number of cases, ministry staff workers have to evacuate out of the country or move to alternative locations within the country they serve to ensure their safety.

He noted that if the war in Ukraine continues for more than two weeks, the families of the ministry staff that were evacuated back to Israel would have to foot the bill for their own expenses.

In addition, Levi-Sfari said there is a culture within the ministry that the staff is available round the clock, without any additional monetary compensation.

Everyone is excited that Israel has organized 100 tons of humanitarian relief for Ukraine, he said, but that came as the result of Galit Peleg, director of overseas programs at Mashav, because she worked all weekend without any promise of additional pay.

Levi-Sfari asked that the FADC hold a second hearing to ensure that progress had been made.

MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) said he believed the situation presented a “strategic threat” to Israel.

 THUMBNAIL (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Mexico's Grupo Bimbo suspends operations in Ukraine plant, citing safety concerns


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican breadmaker Grupo Bimbo said on Sunday it has temporarily suspended operations in its Dnipro plant to ensure the safety of its 150 workers, all of whom are Ukrainians, citing the ongoing crisis with Russia.

© Reuters/DANIEL BECERRIL Breadmaker Grupo Bimbo logo is pictured in Monterrey

One of the world's largest breadmaker, Grupo Bimbo said in a statement that it operates in Ukraine under the brand of Bimbo QSR, providing baked goods to quick service restaurants. It said it had suspended operations in Ukraine four days earlier.

Grupo Bimbo also operates in Russia though the statement did not mention whether its presence there would be affected.

Earlier this week, Mexican tortilla-maker Gruma suspended operations at its plant in Ukraine, local media had reported.

(Reporting by Noe Torres; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

CANADA 

Privacy must continue to be considered in the Competition Act, Privacy Commissioner says

Daniel Therrien says data and privacy will play an essential role in future discussions on Canada’s competition policy.

© Provided by MobileSyrup 

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner made the comments in a submission to Senator Howard Wetston’s consultation on what the Competition Act will mean in a world that continues to digitize. The Act focuses on competition and anti-competitive practices in various industries across Canada.

Therrien says the relationship between privacy, competition, and consumer protection continues to grow with the digital transformation of Canada’s economy.

He says it’s not hard to imagine how organizations could engage in anti-competitive behaviour when it comes to privacy, given it’s a “non-price factor,” meaning it’s something that will alter the demand for a specific service but only to a certain extent.

“If a reduction in the number of competitors in a market is likely to lead to increased prices, the inverse can be true with respect to privacy protection as an element of product quality,” he says. There’s less incentive to enhance privacy with fewer competitors, leaving customers with limited options.

For example, if a company were to track and monetize customers’ online habits in a market with limited competition, customers would have little choice. They could accept the tracking of their information or stop using the service, a hard sell given it may not be practical, Therrien notes.

He further says there needs to be continued support for collaboration across different regulatory branches. Therrien points to the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore as an example. The regulatory body has stated that data protection will be an essential factor.

“I would encourage you to consider, where appropriate, amendments to the Competition Act that would enable, or strengthen, cooperation with all regulators who share responsibility for overseeing digital markets,” Therrien says in closing.

The privacy commissioner’s office also serves as a co-chair for the Global Privacy Assembly’s Digital Citizen and Consumer Working Group, which examines the intersection of privacy and competition.

Source: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada