Google will respond to the implementation of bill C-18 by cutting off links to Canadian news outlets. This legislation would result in Google and Meta having to pay newsrooms for linking to their content, raising around $329 million in annual revenue to be allocated among all Canadian newsrooms. By comparison, the revenue generated by Google Search and Meta's Instagram and Facebook is a substantially larger amount.Meta took similar action last week.
Google declared it would withhold news articles from Canada-based publishers from its search results and other products in the country as C-18, a bill that would have awarded news companies with an annual installment of $329 million, gained approval last week. The company's determination to abstain from such hefty reimbursement may leave newspapers that rely on Google search for readers, without the means of their business. Consequently, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) directed Canadians to access the websites of their trusted news sources, as the newsroom industry has undergone a deterioration with 216 Canadian newsrooms shutting down in 2008-2018. Member of Parliament Pablo Rodriguez of Honoré-Mercier tweeted his dismay with tech giants choosing to expend cash to alter their systems instead of dishing out a reasonable share of the billions made from advertising. Last quarter's revenue for Search landed at an astonishing figure of $40.69 billion. Kent Walker, the global affairs president of Google, called the framework of C-18 "unworkable" and highlighted its vulnerability to "unbounded financial liability." Similarly, Facebook and Instagram have already blocked Canadian news outlets, a move that met disfavor in Australia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged these internet moguls to make amends instead of indulging in threatening behavior. Walker further communicated his disappointment with the issue, while noting the aim is to be candid with Canadian publishers and users.
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