MEDIA LIBRARY – News, papers, books, and podcasts on the dynamics of Big Tech and regulatory capture.
KEY READINGS
from our research on The Revolving Door
Erin O’Toole’s Plan For Gig Workers Was ‘Carbon Copied’ From Uber’s Corporate Lobbyists, Press Progress, September 2021
How Accounting Giants Craft Favorable Tax Rules From Inside Government, Jesse Drucker and Danny Hakim, The New York Times, September 2021
Lobbying “from within”: A new perspective on the revolving door and regulatory capture, Stéphanie Yates and Étienne Cardin-Trudeau, Canadian Public Administration, June 2021
Web of familiar faces connects government with online giants, Vito Pilieci, Post Media – Ottawa Citizen, May 2018
![]()
How Accounting Giants Craft Favorable Tax Rules From Inside Government, Jesse Drucker and Danny Hakim, The New York Times, September 2021
Lobbying “from within”: A new perspective on the revolving door and regulatory capture, Stéphanie Yates and Étienne Cardin-Trudeau, Canadian Public Administration, June 2021
Web of familiar faces connects government with online giants, Vito Pilieci, Post Media – Ottawa Citizen, May 2018
Read our research on
THE REVOLVING DOOR
THE REVOLVING DOOR
KEY READINGS
from our research on Academic Capture
The Steep Cost of Capture, Meredith Whittaker, Interactions, November – December 2021
Academic Capture: Private Funds + Public Interests, Vass Bednar, Regs to Riches, January 2021
When Scholars Collaborate With Tech Companies, How Reliable Are the Findings?, Noam Scheiber, The New York Times, June 2020
The Invention of Ethical AI: How Big Tech Manipulates Academia to Avoid Regulation, Rodrigo Ochigame, The Intercept, December 2019
Academic Capture: Private Funds + Public Interests, Vass Bednar, Regs to Riches, January 2021
When Scholars Collaborate With Tech Companies, How Reliable Are the Findings?, Noam Scheiber, The New York Times, June 2020
The Invention of Ethical AI: How Big Tech Manipulates Academia to Avoid Regulation, Rodrigo Ochigame, The Intercept, December 2019
RECENT HEADLINES
Tech money in civil society: whose interests do digital rights organisations represent?, Jake Goldenfein and Monique Mann, Cultural Studies journal, Volume 36, March 2022
A Google billionnaire’s fingerprints are all over Biden’s science and technology office, Alex Thompson, Politico, March 2022
Big Tech’s support for Canadian universities risks compromising research integrity, Vass Bednar, The Globe and Mail, January 2022
Who will regulate the regulators? Big Tech and their influence on government policy, Rachel Parent, Post Media – National Post, January 2022
Canada is sleepwalking into bed with Big Tech, as politicos float between firms and public office, Liisa Ladouceur from FRIENDS, Toronto Star, January 2022
The dark side of social media: What Canada is — and isn’t — doing about it, Rachel Gilmore, Global News, January 2022
Think Facebook’s bad news? Meta’s man in Ottawa would like a word, Martin Patriquin, The Logic, December 2021
Canadians should be outraged at the CRTC for reversing its decision on wholesale internet rates, George Burger, Toronto Star, June 2021
Is Canada Ready for the Platform Regulation Debate?, Blayne Haggart and Natasha Tusikov, CIGI Online, June 2021
Who’s really got Ottawa’s ear? Paid consultants are everywhere in Ottawa. This so-called ‘shadow public service’ offers expert analysis at a pretty penny—and never has to worry about pesky accountability, Shannon Proudfoot, Maclean’s, April 2021
Liberal privacy bill fails to curtail surveillance economy or protect Canadians, Jim Balsillie, Post Media – National Post, March 2021
![]()
A Google billionnaire’s fingerprints are all over Biden’s science and technology office, Alex Thompson, Politico, March 2022
Big Tech’s support for Canadian universities risks compromising research integrity, Vass Bednar, The Globe and Mail, January 2022
Who will regulate the regulators? Big Tech and their influence on government policy, Rachel Parent, Post Media – National Post, January 2022
Canada is sleepwalking into bed with Big Tech, as politicos float between firms and public office, Liisa Ladouceur from FRIENDS, Toronto Star, January 2022
The dark side of social media: What Canada is — and isn’t — doing about it, Rachel Gilmore, Global News, January 2022
Think Facebook’s bad news? Meta’s man in Ottawa would like a word, Martin Patriquin, The Logic, December 2021
Canadians should be outraged at the CRTC for reversing its decision on wholesale internet rates, George Burger, Toronto Star, June 2021
Is Canada Ready for the Platform Regulation Debate?, Blayne Haggart and Natasha Tusikov, CIGI Online, June 2021
Who’s really got Ottawa’s ear? Paid consultants are everywhere in Ottawa. This so-called ‘shadow public service’ offers expert analysis at a pretty penny—and never has to worry about pesky accountability, Shannon Proudfoot, Maclean’s, April 2021
Liberal privacy bill fails to curtail surveillance economy or protect Canadians, Jim Balsillie, Post Media – National Post, March 2021
THE CAPTURE SCENE
Carleton’s new election-integrity scholar comes from Facebook. The NDP says that’s like Dracula overseeing the blood supply, Carl Meyer, National Observer, January 2020
In Toronto, Google’s Attempt to Privatize Government Fails—For Now, Bianca Wylie, Boston Review, May 2020
Influencing the Internet: Lobbyists and Interest Groups’ Impact on Digital Rights in Canada, Megan Beretta, in Citizenship in a Connected Canada: A Research and Policy Agenda, edited by Elizabeth Dubois and Florian Martin-Bariteau, June 2020, revised November 2020
The Grey Hoodie Project: Big Tobacco, Big Tech, and the threat on academic integrity, Mohamed Abdalla and Moustafa Abdalla, Proceedings of the 2021 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, September 2020, revised April 2021
How is tech lobbying shaping federal policy?, Megan Beretta, Policy Options, February 2019
Foreign tech giants have more than tripled their lobbying since Justin Trudeau became prime minister, Murad Hemmadi, The Logic, July 2019
NDP and Conservatives accuse Justin Trudeau of favouring ‘Silicon Valley data giants’ over Canadian tech firms, Murad Hemmadi, The Logic, July 2019
How Canadian money and research are helping China become a global telecom superpower, Steven Chase, Christine Dobby, Robert Fife and Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail, May 2018
Canada’s spy agency cautions universities about research ties with Huawei, Steven Chase, Robert Fife and Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail, December 2018
Uber hires former Ontario PC president to lobby Ottawa, Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star, May 2017
Uber boosts its Ottawa lobbying team, Beatrice Britneff, iPolitics, July 2017
The women in Harper’s inner circle: The women of power and influence next to the PM, Jennifer Ditchburn, Maclean’s, February 2013
The Shadow Public Service: The swelling ranks of federal government outsourced workers, David Macdonald, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, March 2011
![]()
In Toronto, Google’s Attempt to Privatize Government Fails—For Now, Bianca Wylie, Boston Review, May 2020
Influencing the Internet: Lobbyists and Interest Groups’ Impact on Digital Rights in Canada, Megan Beretta, in Citizenship in a Connected Canada: A Research and Policy Agenda, edited by Elizabeth Dubois and Florian Martin-Bariteau, June 2020, revised November 2020
The Grey Hoodie Project: Big Tobacco, Big Tech, and the threat on academic integrity, Mohamed Abdalla and Moustafa Abdalla, Proceedings of the 2021 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, September 2020, revised April 2021
How is tech lobbying shaping federal policy?, Megan Beretta, Policy Options, February 2019
Foreign tech giants have more than tripled their lobbying since Justin Trudeau became prime minister, Murad Hemmadi, The Logic, July 2019
NDP and Conservatives accuse Justin Trudeau of favouring ‘Silicon Valley data giants’ over Canadian tech firms, Murad Hemmadi, The Logic, July 2019
How Canadian money and research are helping China become a global telecom superpower, Steven Chase, Christine Dobby, Robert Fife and Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail, May 2018
Canada’s spy agency cautions universities about research ties with Huawei, Steven Chase, Robert Fife and Sean Silcoff, The Globe and Mail, December 2018
Uber hires former Ontario PC president to lobby Ottawa, Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star, May 2017
Uber boosts its Ottawa lobbying team, Beatrice Britneff, iPolitics, July 2017
The women in Harper’s inner circle: The women of power and influence next to the PM, Jennifer Ditchburn, Maclean’s, February 2013
The Shadow Public Service: The swelling ranks of federal government outsourced workers, David Macdonald, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, March 2011
CULTURE COMMENT
One of Canada’s most important institutions is failing Canadians, Geoff White, The Globe and Mail, June 2021
Protecting Canada’s cultural sovereignty from Big Tech is one promise the Liberals must keep, Daniel Bernhard, National Post, December 2020
Why Canada’s New Cultural Policy Will Be Terrible for the Arts: Turning artists into tech entrepreneurs is a triumph of Silicon Valley, Ira Wells, The Walrus, October 2017
![]()
Protecting Canada’s cultural sovereignty from Big Tech is one promise the Liberals must keep, Daniel Bernhard, National Post, December 2020
Why Canada’s New Cultural Policy Will Be Terrible for the Arts: Turning artists into tech entrepreneurs is a triumph of Silicon Valley, Ira Wells, The Walrus, October 2017
PODCAST PEANUTS
How Facebook Bought-Off Canada For Peanuts, Jesse Brown and Fenwick McKelvey, Canadaland, January 2018
![]()
EUROPEAN LENS
UK urged to review lobbying rules after former privacy chief joins law firm, Vincent Manancourt, Politico, December 2021
The lobby network: Big Tech’s web of influence in the EU, Max Bank, Felix Duffy, Verena Leyendecker and Margarida Silva, Corporate Europe Observatory and Lobby Control, August 2021
How Google quietly funds Europe’s leading tech policy institutes, Laurie Clarke, Oscar Williams and Katharine Swindells, The New Statesman, July 2021
![]()
The lobby network: Big Tech’s web of influence in the EU, Max Bank, Felix Duffy, Verena Leyendecker and Margarida Silva, Corporate Europe Observatory and Lobby Control, August 2021
How Google quietly funds Europe’s leading tech policy institutes, Laurie Clarke, Oscar Williams and Katharine Swindells, The New Statesman, July 2021
WASHINGTON WAYS
Tech Oversight Project launches to push for anti-trust legislation in Silicon Valley, Cat Zakrzewski, The Washington Post, January 2022
Corporate America launches massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion economic plan, Tony Romm, The Washington Post, August 2021
Lobbyists for Silicon Valley Giants Like Facebook Find Glory Days Are Over, Julie Bykowicz and Brody Mullins, The Wall Street Journal, June 2021
A Test of the Revolving Door Hypothesis at the FCC, William T. Gormley Jr., American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 23, No. 4, 1979
![]()
Corporate America launches massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion economic plan, Tony Romm, The Washington Post, August 2021
Lobbyists for Silicon Valley Giants Like Facebook Find Glory Days Are Over, Julie Bykowicz and Brody Mullins, The Wall Street Journal, June 2021
A Test of the Revolving Door Hypothesis at the FCC, William T. Gormley Jr., American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 23, No. 4, 1979
NOTABLE BOOKS
Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power, Ari Ezra Waldman, Cambridge University Press, 2021
Preventing Regulatory Capture: Special Interest Influence and How to Limit It, Daniel Carpenter and David A. Moss, Editors, Cambridge University Press, 2013
Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why, Frank Baumgartner, Jeffrey Berry, Marie Hojnacki, Beth Leech and David Kimball, University of Chicago Press, 2009
![]()
Preventing Regulatory Capture: Special Interest Influence and How to Limit It, Daniel Carpenter and David A. Moss, Editors, Cambridge University Press, 2013
Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why, Frank Baumgartner, Jeffrey Berry, Marie Hojnacki, Beth Leech and David Kimball, University of Chicago Press, 2009
ABOUT US
The Regulatory Capture Lab is a new collaboration between the Centre for Digital Rights and FRIENDS. Together we are building a clear, research-informed picture of how decision-making works in Canada, to document the crossover between public offices and corporate interests, and to stimulate debate about power and influence in Canadian digital policy. Contact us at info@regulatorycapturelab.ca.
Research support for this project was provided by students from McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program.
Graphic art by Atelier Michèle Champagne. Edit by No Media. Read our privacy policy.
ABOUT US
The Regulatory Capture Lab is a new collaboration between the Centre for Digital Rights and FRIENDS. Together we are building a clear, research-informed picture of how decision-making works in Canada, to document the crossover between public offices and corporate interests, and to stimulate debate about power and influence in Canadian digital policy.
Contact us at info@regulatorycapturelab.ca.
Research support for this project was provided by students from the McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program.
Graphic art by Atelier Michèle Champagne. Edit by No Media. Read our privacy policy.