Google’s Local News Links Vanish in Canada:News Act Impact

Google to Block Canadian News in Response to the new law.

Google has said it will block links to Canadian news from its search engine and other products in the country in response to a new law that would require tech giants to pay news providers.

The move comes after Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced it would also restrict news content for its Canadian users.

The Canadian government passed the Online News Act last week, requiring platforms like Google and Meta to negotiate deals with news providers. The bill is set to take effect in six months.

Google had previously called the Canadian law “unworkable” in its current form and proposed amendments. Both Google and Meta have held talks with the government about the legislation.

But the Canadian government has said the legislation will help provide fair compensation to struggling news outlets and has argued it is necessary “to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news market”.

Google did not specify how long its ban on local news links would last or whether Canadian users would be shown links to stories about Canada from publishers not based in the country.

“We have now informed the government that when the law takes effect, we, unfortunately, will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada,” Google said in a blog post.

“We don’t take this decision or its impacts lightly and believe it’s important to be transparent with Canadian publishers and our users as early as possible,” it said.

News Media Canada, which represented hundreds of news organizations nationwide and had lobbied in favor of the law, said it still believed there was a “viable path forward”.

“Rather than demonstrating their extraordinary market power by withholding access to timely, accurate news for Canadians, this is a time for all stakeholders to act in good faith, as responsible corporate citizens, and engage actively in the regulatory process to ensure that regulation is balanced, predictable and fair,” it said.

Google’s decision to block Canadian news is a significant development in the ongoing debate over how to regulate tech giants. The company has argued that Canadian law is unfair and would force it to pay for free content that it already provides. The decision by Google and Meta could also have a broader impact on the way that people consume news. If people are no longer able to find news articles easily on Google and Meta, they may be more likely to turn to other sources for information. This could lead to a decline in the overall quality of news available to Canadians.