Company says it’s testing possible responses to Liberal government’s online news bill
Google is blocking some Canadian users from viewing news content in what the company says is a test run of a potential response to the Liberal government’s online news bill
Also known as Bill C-18, the Online News Act would require digital giants such as Google and Meta, which owns Facebook, to negotiate deals that would compensate Canadian media companies for republishing their content on their platforms
The company said Wednesday that it is temporarily limiting access to news content for under four per cent of its Canadian users as it assesses possible responses to the bill. The change applies to its ubiquitous search engine as well as the Discover feature on Android devices, which carries news and sports stories
All types of news content are being affected by the test, which will run for about five weeks, the company said. That includes content created by Canadian broadcasters and newspapers
We’re briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users
Google spokesman Shay Purdy said in a written statement on Wednesday in response to questions from The Canadian Press
The company runs thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to its search engine, he added
Canadians won’t be intimidated, says spokesperson
A spokesperson for Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Canadians will not be intimidated and called it disappointing that Google is borrowing from Meta’s playbook
Canadians need to have access to quality, fact-based news at the local and national levels, and that’s why we introduced the Online News Act. Tech giants need to be more transparent and accountable to Canadians
the spokesperson said
Heritage minister: Government is ‘setting the table’ for negotiations between digital platforms and Canadian media outlets
11 months agoDuration6:18Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez joins Power & Politics to discuss Bill C-18, which would force digital platforms to compensate Canadian media outlets for the use of their content
Last year, Facebook warned that it might block sharing of news content on its platform in Canada over concerns about legislation that would compel digital platforms to pay news publishers
A similar Australian law, which took effect in March 2021 after talks with the big tech firms led to a brief shutdown of Facebook news feeds in the country, has largely worked, a government report had said
Canada’s news media industry has asked the government for more regulation of tech companies, to allow the industry to recoup financial losses it has suffered in the years that Facebook and Google have been steadily gaining greater market share of advertising
More than 450 news outlets in Canada have closed since 2008, including 64 in the last two years
The Canadian Press ·with files from Reuters
