Google said it will be eliminating links to Canadians news from its Search, News, and Discover sections due to Bill C-18. .“We’re disappointed it has come to this,” said Google and Alphabet President of Global Affairs Kent Walker in a Thursday blog post. .“We don’t take this decision or its impacts lightly and believe it’s important to be transparent with Canadian publishers and our users as early as possible.”.The Canadian government is set to enact Bill C-18, requiring Google and Facebook to pay for showing links to news — which every one else does for free..Walker said the decision to put a price on links “creates uncertainty for our products and exposes us to uncapped financial liability simply for facilitating Canadians’ access to news from Canadian publishers.”.The Google News Showcase program has negotiated agreements covering more than 150 news publications across Canada. Google News linked to Canadian news publications more than 3.6 billion times at no charge in 2022, helping publishers make money through ads and new subscriptions. .Ever since the Canadian government introduced C-18 in 2022, the blog post said Google shared its experiences in other countries and has been clear unworkable legislation could lead to changes affecting the availability of news on its products. .It said it has collaborated with governments and news publishers around the world on the shared goal of strengthening the news industry, and it has thousands of mutually beneficial agreements with them. .Google tried to take the same approach with C-18. It offered constructive feedback and recommended solutions which would have made it more workable for platforms and publishers, unlocking further financial support for Canadian journalism. .The release acknowledged Google advocated for reasonable, balanced amendments for more than one year. None of its suggestions for changes were accepted. .As C-18 was approaching final passage and royal assent, the Canadian government agreed to discussing the possibility of addressing some of the most critical issues, which it welcomes. In this discussion, it asked for clarity on financial expectations platforms face for linking to news and a path towards exemption based on programs to support it and commercial agreements with publishers. .While it appreciates the Canadian government’s acknowledgement its concerns were reasonable and confirmation the law will not apply until it adopts implementing regulations, Walker said it has “not provided us with sufficient certainty that the regulatory process will be able to resolve structural issues with the legislation (such as forced payment for links and uncapped financial liability).”.The blog post concluded by saying Google plans to participate in the regulatory process and will continue to be transparent with Canadians and publishers moving forward. It hopes the government will be able to outline a viable path forward. .“Otherwise, we remain concerned that Bill C-18 will make it harder for Canadians to find news online, make it harder for journalists to reach their audiences, and reduce valuable free web traffic to Canadian publishers,” said Walker. .The standoff between the Canadian government and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg deepened June 22 after C-18 cleared the Senate and prompted Meta to begin blocking news content on its main platforms. .READ MORE: Facebook turning off news in Canada as latest media bailout awaits Royal Assent.“Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act taking effect,” said Meta. .“We have repeatedly shared that in order to comply with Bill C-18, passed today in Parliament, content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada.”.Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez vowed more resources for reporters on Tuesday if Google and Meta follow through with threats to block Canadian newsfeeds from their sites in response to C-18. .READ MORE: Liberals vow more “resources” for newsrooms if Facebook, Google walk from C-18.Rodriguez said he had constructive but tough conversations with Google about the bill’s implications. .The Canadian government is working on an implementation plan to sort out the details about how it will work, which will take about six months to complete.
