Aengus Bridgman joins the Law Bytes podcast to talk about the state of the major platforms in Canada in 2025, how our information ecosystem is vulnerable to misinformation, and what we should be doing about it.

Canada’s 45th federal election campaign is in full swing, and information is coming at us fast and furious. But look out: Disinformation isn’t far behind. The threats of fake news, deepfakes and foreign interference infiltrating your social media feed have never been higher. What should you watch out for and what can you do about it?

Élections fédérales : Les risques d’ingérence étrangère plus élevés que jamais

Canadians are in the midst of a federal election at a time when they can’t access news on the most popular social media platforms — and as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ally Elon Musk uses his own platform to meddle in the politics of other countries.

Dans la semaine qui a précédé le déclenchement des élections, les principaux partis politiques fédéraux ont acheté pour plus de 900 000 $ de publicité à Meta, une entreprise américaine qui interdit le partage de vraies nouvelles sur ses plateformes, mais qui permet la prolifération de fausses nouvelles.

Opening Segment (0:56); Disinformation from abroad is a real danger in a race where Canada-U.S. mistrust is high. (17:44); GoFundMe campaign seeks support for appeal of Preston Springs condo proposal (35:49); Living Retired (53:35); Annual Highland Ball returns to Cambridge Armoury (1:11.28); KWAG 'Culture Talk' shines a light on placemaking and social infrastructure (1:20.24); The Flipside (1:29.37); It's the 12 o'clock Talkback Hour! (1:49.38)

Today on the phone-in: We hear from listeners about the issues they're most concerned about in this federal election. Our guests are political scientist Jamie Gillies from UNB and Aengus Bridgman from McGill University.

Disinformation from abroad is a real danger in a race where Canada-U.S. mistrust is high. Here’s what the cyber threats might look like

The head of Elections Canada says he has been in touch with social media platforms in an effort to address concerns about misinformation as Canada wades into an election campaign. Aengus Bridgman, an assistant professor at McGill University, says ‘misinformation is the major threat to Canadian democracy.’ Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/1.7491567

Canada faces a war on two fronts: an economic campaign to weaken and ultimately annex us, and an information war to manipulate public opinion and destabilize our democracy. Incredibly, the United States is now, alongside authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China, using economic pressure, territorial aggression and digital propaganda to divide Canadians, distort elections and sow mistrust in institutions.

With trust in journalism eroding, disinformation — once fringe — is now mainstream. Much of it is spreading on social media. Today’s guest says the online media environment in Canada is more fragile and vulnerable to manipulation than ever before. A dangerous situation at the best of times — even more so during an election.

Aengus Bridgman, director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, explains what worries him about the information voters are getting online this election — and how to make sure you don’t get duped.

This was a wide ranging conversation and dealt with Trump's tariff war, the threats towards Canada and the recent arrest and attempt to deport a Columbia student who helped lead protests against Israel's war in Gaza last year.

The conversation was recorded in front of an audience. It was part of a conference put on by McGill's Media Ecosystem Observatory and the Max Bell School of Public Policy.

Des experts mettent en garde contre l'ingérence étrangère, qui risque de passer surtout par des campagnes de désinformation sur les réseaux sociaux.

Democracy Watch is urging federal parties to work together to pass legislation that could help address foreign interference, such as Bill C-65 and Bill C-290, before a federal election is called.

Conservative MPs get more online engagement than Liberals and NDP combined, study finds.