TORONTO — Google announced on Thursday that it will remove Canadian news from its services in response to a new federal law that forces tech giants to pay publishers for news they share on their services.
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The move will change the way Canadians access, read, and even stumble across news.
Here’s what it means for Canadians.
Where is Google removing Canadian news from?
Google is removing links to Canadian news publications from its search engine, news aggregator and Discovery product.
Can Canadians access News through Google?
Canadian users can still access news content about the country from international channels like the BBC, New York Times and The Guardian, to which Google doesn’t block links.
When do the changes take effect?
Google announces that it will stop linking to news from Canadian publishers once the Online News Act goes into effect.
The law was passed last week but is not expected to come into force before the end of the year.
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Why is Google doing this?
Google is removing links to Canadian publishers in response to Canada’s passage of the Online News Act, which included provisions forcing tech giants to compensate media companies for stories they link to or use for other purposes.
The law requires digital giants to sign agreements with news publishers that promise to pay media companies for content that appears on the tech company’s websites if it helps them generate money.
Google disliked the legislation in part because it feared the law would force it to subsidize all media involved in news, including foreign state media and sources of misinformation and propaganda.
How can Canadians access news instead?
Canadians can still access Messages. However, instead of expecting it to show up in a Google search, they need to visit news organizations’ websites directly, or use another search engine or aggregator that hasn’t blocked articles from Canadian publishers.
What does this mean for Google’s news partnerships?
Google News Showcase, the company’s mechanism for licensing news from over 150 local publishers, will cease operations in Canada.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 29, 2023.
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