Canada: Canadian Digital Regulators Forum released paper on synthetic media in digital landscape

On 18 September 2025, the Canadian Digital Regulators Forum (CDRF), including Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Competition Bureau Canada, the Copyright Board of Canada, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, released a paper on synthetic media in the digital landscape. The paper addressed the opportunities and risks of generative artificial intelligence and synthetic media across the mandates of the four institutions, including issues of copyright protection, deceptive marketing practices, privacy rights, and broadcasting regulation. It examined challenges related to copyright infringement, authorship, remuneration of creators, consumer protection, transparency of AI-generated content, and the application of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. The paper also provided context on international frameworks such as the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act and regulatory initiatives in the United States and the United Kingdom, alongside Canadian initiatives, including the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems and the AI Strategy for the Federal Public Service 2025–2027. The paper emphasised the implications of synthetic media for Canadian content production, competition, privacy, and copyright enforcement, as well as the broader regulatory and legal uncertainties domestically and internationally.