Canada may soon require Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news information shared or repurposed on their platforms.
According to Nairamtrics, the bill was approved by the Canadian Senate on Thursday and is expected to become law.
The bill is a response to Facebook and Google’s alleged “threats” to remove news from their platforms, according to Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez. The regulation, in Ottawa’s opinion, will level the playing field between the massive online advertisers and the struggling news sector.
In accordance with the bill, Meta has said that it would stop providing news to its Canadian users on Facebook and Instagram. According to the director of communications for Meta in Canada, Lisa Laventure.
“We have frequently stated that Canadian users of our platforms will no longer be able to access content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, in order to comply with Bill C-18, which was passed today in Parliament.”
Google is also making efforts to comply with the legislation’s demands, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, is slated to meet with Google, and although no additional information has been made public, the tech company intends to delete news links from its search engine.
The Online News Act requires that both businesses reach agreements with news organisations to pay for the news information that appears on their websites and generates income for the internet behemoths.
Once Bill C-18 is passed, the tech giants are not immediately subject to the act. Before any tech giant is listed under the act, all information will be made available, according to spokesperson, Laura Scaffidi.
The law follows discussions about “enhancing fairness” in the digital news business and assisting in raising more money for constricting newsrooms. especially in light of claims that Google and Meta are monopolizing and disrupting the advertising sector.
