In response to the “Online News Act” legislation that Justin Trudeau’s government introduced in April, Google is currently testing blocking access to news content for some Canadian users.
Reuters reports that the “Online News Acts” will require platforms like Google and Facebook to compensate news publishers for their content. The tech giant acknowledged that the tests “limit the visibility of Canadian and international news to varying degrees.” and affect a random sample of about four percent of Canadian users.
The “Online News Act,” or House of Commons Bill C-18, was introduced in April 2021 by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government. It outlined guidelines to compel social media giants Google and Facebook to bargain for business deals and compensate news publishers for their content. The bill has the backing of the Canadian news media sector, which has recently experienced financial losses due to the dominance of Google and Facebook in the advertising market.
In Canada, a potential response to the government’s online news bill is currently being tested; however, the action may have repercussions for other nations. The test results might affect Google’s and other tech giants’ reactions to legislation of a similar nature in other countries.
Breitbart News reported in 2021 that Australia’s political opposition had proposed legislation that would force tech giants such as Google and Facebook to pay publishers and broadcasters for access to news content. This was signed into law in March 2021.
Breitbart News then reported that Australia’s Parliament was set to debate forcing Google and Facebook to pay news publishers for their content after a Senate committee recommended no changes to drafts of laws that would force the tech giants to compensate publishers. The senators rejected arguments from Facebook and Google that the proposed “media bargaining code” was unworkable. But the committee further recognized that the legislation carried risks and should be reviewed after a year.
Read more at Reuters here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan