Canada aims to impose strict sanctions against online hate speech, including fines that could reach millions of dollars and life imprisonment. The Canadian government is seeking to regulate digital content more strictly, which includes imposing penalties for crimes that have not yet been committed, according to the German website "NTV".

Online Harms Act

Canada intends to introduce a new law called the "Online Harms Act," which aims to combat abuse and bullying.

The government also plans for the first time to amend the criminal code to consider hate a separate crime, which will help facilitate the prosecution of such crimes.

Categories of harmful content and increase in sexual crimes against children
The Canadian government identified seven categories of harmful content, including posts that incite hatred, violence, terrorism, sexual abuse of children, and self-harm. Protection for children will be strengthened under this new law.

Reports indicate that cases of online child exploitation have quadrupled since 2014, with around 61,500 cases recorded during this period.

Online services' actions and responsibilities
Major online services must remove harmful content within 24 hours; these services include social media, pornographic websites, and live streaming providers, with the exception of the messaging app "WhatsApp" and gaming platforms.

Fines for non-compliant companies
Companies that do not comply with the new rules will face fines of up to 10 million Canadian dollars or 6% of global sales, whichever is higher.

The "Digital Safety Commission" will oversee the enforcement of these measures in Canada and must be able to take swift and informal action, including imposing fines.

Similar laws in the European Union
In the European Union, large online platforms are required under the new "Digital Services Act" to take action against illegal content such as hate speech.

Companies that ignore these actions face fines of up to 6% of their annual global sales, with the possibility of additional fines of up to 5% of global daily trading volume for each day of delay in implementing the measures.