Google to block Canadian news content due to online news law

Google is planning to block Canadian news content from its platforms in Canada in response to a new law from the Liberal government.

The Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, is trying to get Google to pay for their access to Canadian news content in an attempt to provide proper compensation.

But, Google says they’re not going to pay for the content and instead just remove it all from their platforms.

Services like Google News and Google Discover will no longer contain links to Canadian news, but users will still be able to find news produced by international outlets such as the BBC, the New York Times and Fox News.

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The tech giant didn’t specify exactly when these changes are going to take effect, but it did say it will happen before the law comes into force by the end of the year.

Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and its parent company Alphabet, said this is the wrong approach to supporting journalism in Canada.

Walker said in a blog post published to Google’s website on Thursday that the bill creates a price on links, resulting in an uncapped financial liability.

“We already pay to support Canadian journalism through our programs and partnerships,” Walker said.

“Last year alone, we linked to Canadian news publications more than 3.6 billion times — at no charge — helping publishers make money through ads and new subscriptions.”

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Last week, Meta made a similar announcement, saying it will remove news from its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram before the Online News Act is in force.

The new law is focusing on the large companies of Google and Meta because they claim about 85 per cent of the 9.6 billion digital ad market in Canada.