The platforms are expected to use their available tools to combat the spread of misinformation online in the run-up to the October federal election. Those measures include addressing misrepresentations of political candidates, and being clear about when users see political ads and why. Platforms will be required to remove fake accounts and content. The government also said it will work with online tech companies to improve digital literacy. Meanwhile, Facebook said it will publicize any accounts it takes down for trying to interfere in the upcoming election, whether or not the federal government chooses to make that information public. (Globe and Mail, CBC)

Talking point: Last week, the federal government released a digital charter that was short on legislative or regulatory changes and long on statements of principle. This announcement similarly asks tech companies to make voluntary commitments. One limitation of that approach is that tech companies can simply say no. Twitter didn’t go quite that far, but the company did say it would need to review the details of the proposal before commenting.