The Canadian government has reached an agreement with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay publishers $100 million annually and continue to provide access to Canadian news content on its platform. Canadian Culture Minister Pascale St-Onge announced the “historic development” in the implementation of Bill C-18 on Wednesday after the tech giant threatened to block messages on its platform when the controversial new rules come into effect next month. (CTV News)
Here is an expert from McGill University who can weigh in on this topic:
Taylor Owen, Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy
“Google’s resistance was always a negotiating tactic to achieve the lowest possible liability cap and thus set a global precedent. There are half a dozen similar bills internationally, and in Canada the law sought to set new standards. Google doesn’t really stay out of the news. Access to reliable information is part of the core value proposition. Meta, on the other hand, has been increasingly withdrawn from the news for five years, and the blockade in Canada is a convenient scapegoat for blaming a government.”
Taylor Owen is director of the Center for Media, Technology and Democracy and the Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communication. His areas of expertise include digital media, technology and misinformation.
taylor.owen [at] mcgill.ca (English)
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