In a similar move to Australia, Canada's Online News Act bill asks companies like Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content.
Google has confirmed it was testing potential responses to the Online News Act bill.abc.net.au/news/google-tests-blocking-news-content-for-some-canadians/102016368Alphabet Inc's Google is rolling out tests that block access to news content for some Canadian users in what it says is a test run of a potential response to the government's online news bill.
The Online News 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 Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content. "We're briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users," a Google spokesperson said.The tech-giant confirmed the time-limited tests, which impact a random sampling of less than 4 per cent of the users in Canada, "limit the visibility of Canadian and international news to varying degrees."
A spokeswoman for Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Canadians will not be intimidated and called it disappointing that Google is borrowing from Meta's playbook. "Canadians need to have access to quality, fact-based news at the local and national levels, and that's why we introduced the Online News Act," the spokeswoman said.
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