The Canadian Government’s Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, has caused a clash between the government and Google.
Under this legislation, companies are obligated to pay for displaying news links, creating a “link tax.”
In response, Google has decided to remove links to Canadian news from its Search, News, and Discover products in Canada. Google argues that complying with the law would disrupt the functioning of the web and search engines.
Despite engaging with the government and proposing alternatives, Google’s suggestions were not accepted.
While expressing disappointment, Google plans to participate in the regulatory process, but concerns remain about the impact on news accessibility, journalist-audience connections, and web traffic for Canadian publishers.
Want to know more? Check out the source code on the Google Canada Blog.