Google Is Worried About The ‘Online News Act’ In Canada

Google says that it is worried about the Online News Act in Canada as it can affect the search experience, Ottawacitizen reports.

Sharing revenues with news publishers has become a controversial issue for Google. The company previously had similar cases in France and Australia. However, it could reach an agreement with the publishers. Now, the Canadian government has proposed Bill C-18 to make Google share its revenue with news publishers. Google asks the Liberal government to change some sections of the bill.

According to the new rules, Google should pay publishers for linking to their content. However, Google claims it contradicts the foundations of how the internet works and sets a bad precedent. Google also says the bill incorporates publishers who don’t necessarily produce original reporting. This way, the company has to pay for non-authoritative news content.

Google spokeswoman Lauren Skelly says the company has “serious concerns about some unintended consequences the proposed Online News Act will have on news in Canada and the search experience that Canadians know and trust.”

Moreover, Skelly hopes they can reach an agreement with the Canadian government. Also, they hope to “work constructively with the government to achieve their goals without compromising Canadians’ ability to find and share news online.”

The new bill targets Google and Meta

Google and Meta are now collecting 80 percent of digital advertising revenue in Canada. Bill C-18 aims to make these big-tech companies share a part of their huge revenue with publishers.

The Canadian publishers also lashed out at Google for asking for changes to the bill. Paul Deegan, CEO of News Media Canada, said Google’s argument is a “pure spin”. Deegan added the bill’s goal is “about bringing parties to the table to negotiate content licensing agreements.”

What is happening to Google today in Canada is similar to the Australian bill. Google initially threatened to exit the Australian market following the new bill. But after the law was amended, the company agreed to sign contracts with Australian publishers. Under Bill C-18, only companies that have met government standards in their deals are exempt from the new compensation regime.

Google believes that the language used in the legislation must change. In response, Deegan said it is alright if other parties want to put forward a new language, and they expect the bill to move quickly through the legislative process.

A spokesperson from the ministry of Canadian heritage announced they have received Google’s feedback and will arrange a meeting on Thursday. “Platforms like Facebook and Google get value from having links to news sites on their platforms. The Online News Act requires platforms to negotiate over all the ways they make news content available.” The spokesperson said in a statement.