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OTTAWA (Ontario), June 30 (AP) — Google says it will remove links to Canadian news from its platforms across Canada after a new law goes into effect that forces the digital giant to share with media outlets. or otherwise repurposed content.
The tech giant said Thursday it would remove links to Canadian news from Google News, a personalized aggregation service available on the web or in an app that highlights local news, and Google Discover, a phone feature that helps people find content.
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Only Canadian news will be blocked, so Canadian users can still see content from outlets like Fox News or the BBC.
Google said it had notified Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government of its decision. It did not specify when it would start removing news, but it would do so before the law takes effect. The law was passed last week and will take effect by the end of the year.
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Meta made a similar announcement last week, saying it would remove news from its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram before the law takes effect. It also ended existing deals with local publishers. Meta is already running a test to block news from up to 5% of Canadian users. Google conducted a similar test earlier this year.
Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and its parent company Alphabet, said he was disappointed that things had come to this point, but that the law “doesn’t work.”
In a blog post on Google’s website Thursday, Walker said the bill, which puts a price on links, creates unlimited financial responsibility, “just to make it easier for Canadians to get news from Canadian publishers.”
“We do not take this decision or its implications lightly, and believe it is important to be transparent with Canadian publishers and our users as early as possible,” Walker wrote.
The Online News Act requires the companies to enter into agreements with news publishers to pay them for news content that appears on their sites if it helps them make money.
Google has been seeking assurances about how much this might cost them and how the bargaining process will unfold. Those details will likely become clear when the regulatory process for the bill is complete.
Traditional media and broadcasters applauded the bill, which promises to “enhance fairness in the digital news marketplace” and help bring more money to shrinking newsrooms. In the past, tech giants including Meta and Google have been accused of disrupting and dominating the advertising industry, eclipsing smaller legacy players.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has previously said he hopes the government can reach a positive resolution with the companies to prevent them from deleting the news. Rodriguez also said his administration would continue to support newsrooms if Google and Meta pulled news from their platforms, but he did not specify how that would be done.
Since 2008, nearly 500 newsrooms across the country have closed, Rodriguez said. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a syndicated news feed, the latest staff may not have revised or edited the body of content)
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