OTTAWA, Canada — A law that props up the news industry has turned Canada into the latest battleground for global tech giants that are pushing back against governments trying to curb their dominance.
The Online News Act, passed into law last month by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, requires companies including Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google to negotiate commercial deals with local news organizations for featuring news on their platforms. It’s meant to help outlets that have seen their advertising revenue decimated in the digital era.
But strong opposition from tech firms — including Meta’s intention to permanently end the availability of news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada, and Google’s plan to remove links to Canadian news — is more than just a reaction to the law itself. The platforms may see it as a precedent-setter for jurisdictions from California to Indonesia that are trying to force them to pay for news.
