Mastodawn

OUCH. Canada has enacted laws to require big tech companies that generate ad revenue while sharing links to stories from Canadian news outlets to compensate those publications, and the response of Google and Meta is… to start removing all Canadian news links from their pages.

That means Canadian news just won’t appear in Google searches. It spells disaster for Canadian journalism, all because they asked to share the profits from their work. https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-block-news-links-canada-over-law-paying-publishers-statement-2023-06-29/ #Canada #news #Google

Google to block news in Canada over law on paying publishers

Google said on Thursday it plans to block Canadian news on its platform in Canada, joining Facebook in escalating a campaign against a new law requiring payments to local news publishers.

Reuters

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PeaceNick🇨🇦Jul 14, 2023

@helenczerski

There is precedent. Although a relatively small market, not being bullied and fair compensation is appropriate stance from a government. This Australian version was trying to balance the division of ad revenue for journalist.

https://www.wired.com/story/australia-media-code-facebook-google/

Australia's Standoff Against Google and Facebook Worked—Sort Of

A year after Australia forced tech giants to pay news outlets for the content they display, other countries want to follow suit.

WIRED

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PeaceNick🇨🇦Jul 14, 2023

@helenczerski

Also, intriguingly, so much of our media in 🇨🇦 is owned by Postmedia which in turn has foreign / US hedge funds as their owners. So this is a battle being fought for Canadian journalism between US Tech and US Finance.

My two cents? If every other country did exactly the same thing, Google and Meta would have no choice, would they, now?

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Ryan Aherin Jul 14, 2023

@helenczerski so much for "Don't be evil"

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Henryk Wójtowicz Jul 14, 2023

@helenczerski that's absurd, even for big tech standards

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Mackaj Jul 14, 2023

@helenczerski

My understanding may be wrong, but in Meta's case isn't it that News outlets are posting their own links onto Facebook, then FB are promoting those links to boost visibility, and now the News companies want paying for the privilege?

As for Google, if I see a news story via Google it's just a short intro. I have to click through that to the news page, where I get all *their* adverts thrown at me. How exactly are they losing money to Google? I need this explaining to me.

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Ridemore Jul 15, 2023

@mackaj @helenczerski you're not wrong, plus I've never seen an ad on Google news before

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RM Jul 14, 2023

@helenczerski this happened in Australia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/draft-mandatory-code-conduct-facebook-google-pay-for-news/12510776

Facebook, Google to be forced to pay for news as part of new mandatory code of conduct to support traditional news media

Facebook and Google will have to pay traditional news media to publish their content under a new code of conduct that could be in place by the end of the year.

ABC News