Google will no longer feature local news to Canadian users in retaliation to Canada’s new law requiring Google and Meta to pay media outlets for using the news content on their platform.
“We’re disappointed it has come to this,” said Google in a blogpost. “We don’t take this decision or its impacts lightly and believe it’s important to be transparent with Canadian publishers and our users as early as possible.”
The Online News Act, which became a law last week, recognises the role of digital platforms in the news ecosystem, and emphasises on “fair revenue sharing” between tech platforms and trusted media outlets.
On June 22, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, had also said it will pull local news from both platforms before the Online News Act comes into force. In its blogpost, Google termed the law “unworkable” and warned that it will be “harder for Canadians to find news online” and for journalists “to reach their audiences”.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had said earlier this month that the tech giant was using “bullying tactics”.
“The fact that these internet giants would rather cut off Canadians’ access to local news than pay their fair share is a real problem,” he said, “and now they're resorting to bullying tactics to try and get their way. It’s not going to work.”
In 2021, Australia had passed a similar legislation – the New Media Bargaining Code – under which Google and Facebook are required to pay Australian news outlets for displaying their content. Then too, Facebook said it would stop displaying news content. Watch this video in Newslaundry on why this happened, and why media publishers want to rein in Big Tech.
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