Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Dec 27, 2024

0:00
0:00

Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation

The tech behemoth restricts local news links for Canadian users following the enactment of a law that mandates payment for news content
In a move that has drawn criticism and concern regarding the accessibility of news content, Google announced on Thursday that it would prohibit Canadian users from accessing local news through its platform. This decision comes on the heels of the Canadian government passing the Online News Act, which necessitates technology companies to compensate news publishers for the content disseminated on their platforms.

The Online News Act, which was signed into law last week, seeks to buttress the beleaguered Canadian news industry, which has witnessed the shuttering of hundreds of publications over the past decade. The law compels tech giants, such as Google, to strike equitable commercial agreements with Canadian news outlets for content shared on their platforms. Companies that fail to comply face the prospect of binding arbitration.

Google, however, has vehemently objected to the new legislation, labeling it as “unworkable.” In a statement, the company expressed its disappointment with the Canadian government’s approach, lamenting the lack of assurance that the “structural issues with the legislation” would be addressed during its implementation phase.

In a blog post, Google further elaborated that the legislation would impede Canadians’ ability to easily locate news online and curtail journalists’ outreach to their audiences. The post indicated that while links to Canadian news would be expunged from its Search, News, and Discover products, Canadians would still be able to directly access news content by entering the website addresses into their browsers or utilizing respective news apps.

The announcement by Google follows the collapse of eleventh-hour negotiations with the Canadian government, which aimed to garner the company’s support for the new law.

Google is not the sole tech giant taking a stand against the legislation. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, previously announced that it would also block Canadian news on its platforms.

Both Google and Meta, which hold a virtual duopoly in the online advertising market, have faced criticism for siphoning off advertising revenues from traditional news organizations while simultaneously benefiting from their content without compensation.

Canada's legislation draws inspiration from Australia's groundbreaking New Media Bargaining Code, which mandated Google and Meta to remunerate news publishers for content shared on their platforms. Notably, Google concluded a five-year agreement with AFP in late 2021, consenting to pay for news content from the agency. Google also entered into two separate commercial deals with the news agency.

As countries worldwide grapple with the balance between supporting journalism and managing the omnipresence of tech giants, the steps taken by Canada and the ensuing reaction from companies like Google may set a precedent for similar legislative efforts globally.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×