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Canada passes law requiring Google and Meta to pay for news
Canada is passing a law that will require tech giants Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content that is shared or,,,
Canada is passing a law that will require tech giants Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content that is shared or repurposed on their platforms. The bill was passed by Canada’s Senate on Thursday, and it is now awaiting royal assent.
The bill is a response to what Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez calls “threats” from Facebook and Google to remove journalism from their platforms. Rodriguez has said that the law is necessary to level the playing field between online advertising giants and the shrinking news industry.
In compliance with the bill, Meta has confirmed that it will no longer make news available on Facebook and Instagram for its Canadian users. Lisa Laventure, the head of communications for Meta in Canada, stated,
- “We have repeatedly shared that in order to comply with Bill C-18, which was passed today in Parliament, content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada.”
Google is planning to remove news links from its search engine in Canada in response to the Online News Act. The act mandates that Google and other tech giants pay news publishers for the use of their content.
Google and Meta have both conducted tests blocking news for a portion of their Canadian users. This is likely a precursor to Google’s planned removal of news links from its search engine.
The tech giants are not immediately bound by the Online News Act once Bill C-18 passes. However, they will need to enter into agreements with news publishers to pay for news content that appears on their sites.
What brought about the Bill?
The bill arrives on the heels of previous conversations bothering on “enhancing fairness” in the digital news marketplace and helping bring in more money for shrinking newsrooms. Especially as Meta and Google have been accused of disrupting and dominating the advertising industry.
In retrospect, when Australia passed legislation that drove publishers to ask for payment from tech companies using their news stories, Meta temporarily blocked news from its platform in the country. The Canadian Senate bill will come into force six months after it receives royal assent.
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