Canada is taking the lead in countering violent extremism online. The government through Public Safety Canada has set up Tech against Terrorism, a program tasked with the responsibility of creating a digital database for content pertaining to terrorism. The government is to fund the program to a tune of $1 million. Government involvement in fighting violent extremism comes at a time when Shopify Inc. (TSE:SHOP), BlackBerry Ltd (TSE:BB), and Sierra Wireless, Inc. (TSE:SW) are providing valuable investment opportunities in the country‘s tech space.
Combating Extremism Online
The proposed database will be used to notify small companies whenever terrorist content is detected online. The initiative comes hot on the heels of Christchurch shooting in New Zealand that called for more action to curb the proliferation of violent extremist content online.
Public Safety Canada has since teamed up with tech giants of the likes of Twitter Inc. (NASDAQ:TWTR), Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to help in the detection of extremist content online. The companies have agreed to collaborate with the youth, to come up with ideas that will help in combating the spread of extremism online.
This is not the first time that Canada has sought to combat violent extremism online. The country has in the recent past extended up to C$1.5 million to Moonshot CVE as well as $367,000 to the University of Ontario. The funding is part of a broader effort of trying to examine right-wing ideologies in Canada.
Top Canadian Tech Stocks
Amidst the regulation drive to keep the internet safe, Shopify continues to provide solid long-term investment opportunities. With an impressive gain of more than 80%, the stock is one of the best performing in the burgeoning tech sector.
Shopify has become a household name in the tech sector thanks to an aggressive expansion drive that has seen it extend its suite of products to all aspects of the sale cycle. Its online storefront platform now includes support as well as inventory, control, and analytics option.
Expansion into foreign markets underscores the company’s growth prospects as the firm eyes more than 800,000 active storefronts on the platform.
BlackBerry is another tech company taking the tech sector by storm thanks to impressive turnaround efforts. A transition from a hardware-focused company to software first company has started paying off as the company takes advantage of the ongoing transition to the cloud.
BlackBerry’s reputation when it comes to offering cybersecurity solution is one of the reasons why it remains well positioned to enjoy robust growth going forward. Its secure and modular operating system QNX is already eliciting strong demand, as autonomous driving becomes a reality. Its enterprise software business also continues to grow at an impressive rate.
Sierra Wireless is another company that continues to flourish in the tech sector. The company is one of the leading developers and providers of modems and gateway devices used to connect to the internet as well as the Internet of Things.
Sierra stock is flying high in the market thanks to strong demand for devices that can connect to the internet as well as the Internet of things. The increase in the number of cars that can connect to the internet is an area poised to create vast opportunities of growth for the company.
