Google tests blocking news content for some Canadians
Alphabet Inc’s听骋辞辞驳濒别听is rolling out听迟别蝉迟蝉听that block access to听苍别飞蝉听肠辞苍迟别苍迟听for听蝉辞尘别听Canadian users, the company confirmed on Wednesday, in what it says is a test run of a potential response to the government’s online听苍别飞蝉听bill.
The “Online听狈别飞蝉听Act,” or House of Commons bill C-18, introduced in April by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, laid out rules to force platforms like Meta’s聽Facebook and聽骋辞辞驳濒别听to negotiate commercial deals and pay听苍别飞蝉听publishers for their听肠辞苍迟别苍迟.
“We’re briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users. We run thousands of听迟别蝉迟蝉听each year to assess any potential changes to Search,” a听骋辞辞驳濒别听spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The tech-giant confirmed that the time-limited听迟别蝉迟蝉, which impact a random sampling of less than 4% of the users in Canada, “limit the visibility of Canadian and international听苍别飞蝉听to varying degrees.”
A spokeswoman for Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said听颁补苍补诲颈补苍蝉听will not be intimidated and called it disappointing that听骋辞辞驳濒别听is borrowing from Meta’s playbook.
“颁补苍补诲颈补苍蝉听need to have access to quality, fact-based听苍别飞蝉听at the local and national levels, and that鈥檚 why we introduced the Online听狈别飞蝉听Act. Tech giants need to be more transparent and accountable to听颁补苍补诲颈补苍蝉,” the spokeswoman said.
Last year, Facebook warned that it might block sharing of听苍别飞蝉听肠辞苍迟别苍迟听on its platform in Canada over concerns about legislation that would compel digital platforms to pay听苍别飞蝉听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听苍别飞蝉听feeds in the country, has largely worked, a government report had said.
Canada’s听苍别飞蝉听media industry has pressed against Facebook and 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听骋辞辞驳濒别听have been steadily gaining greater market share of advertising.
More than 450听苍别飞蝉听outlets in Canada have closed since 2008, including 64 closures in the last two years. – Reuters
