Though they aren’t named in the legislation, the likes of Google, Meta and Twitter—not to mention Pornhub—loom large in the Online Harms Act, the federal government’s attempt to rein in hate speech and illegal pornography. 

The bill introduced Monday by Justice Minister Arif Virani puts the onus on large online platforms to police content, protect children online and otherwise “act responsibly” under threat of a significant penalty: a maximum of six per cent of a company’s annual gross global revenue, or $10 million, whichever is greater. 

Meta, which pulled Canadian news content from its site following the passage of the Online News Act, sounded cautiously optimistic. “We look forward to collaborating with lawmakers and industry peers on our long-standing priority to keep Canadians safe,” Rachel Curran, the company’s head of public policy for Canada, said in a statement. 

Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), the British Virgin Islands-based private equity group behind Pornhub and other adult titles, sounded the same conciliatory notes. “In principle, we support the idea of protecting young people online, and ensuring that there’s accountability and transparency, period,” ECP vice-president of public engagement Sarah Bain told The Logic. Bain said ECP, which acquired Pornhub parent company MindGeek (since rebranded as Aylo) in 2023, was encouraged that the legislation targets a range of online content platforms, not just those in the adult market. 

Google Canada spokesperson Lauren Skelly didn’t respond to a request for comment, while a request for comment from Twitter, now known as X, yielded an unsigned auto-reply.

Child-safety non-profit group Canadian Centre for Child Protection, meanwhile, said it is pleased with the legislation’s focus on child well-being online. “We were thrilled that children are at the centre of this bill,” associate executive director Signy Arnason told The Logic. “As it stands, there aren’t any requirements for these companies when they release these products into the market, and we know they’re inherently not safe because keeping kids safe is not factored in the way it needs to be.”

Arnason nonetheless said she had concerns with certain provisions in the legislation, including the targeting of large platforms—“You can have smaller ones that are equally as dangerous,” she said—as well as its exclusion of private and encrypted messaging.  

Reacting to the bill, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said his party would “protect our kids and punish criminals.”

“We do not believe that the government should be banning opinions that contradict the Prime Minister’s radical ideology,” he said in a statement.