Daily Archives: 2023-02-24

Google blocks news content for some Canadians in response to proposed rules

Source: The Verge - All Posts

Article note: As much as I'm not usually a cheerleader for megacorps, it seems _completely reasonable_ to me that if you decide you don't want to participate in the open internet and demand payment from search and aggregation sites for directing traffic to you via snippets and/or links, the search and aggregation sites deist you.
An illustration of the Google logo.
Illustration: The Verge

Google is running tests that block access to news for some Canadian users in response to a new bill that could force it and other large platforms like Meta’s Facebook to negotiate deals with news publishers to pay them for content, Reuters reports. The tests will reportedly impact less than four percent of Canadian users, run for around five weeks, and will “limit the visibility of Canadian and international news to varying degrees.”

The tests come in response to Canada’s Online News Act, also known as “Bill C-18,” which is currently being considered by the Canadian Senate, according to The Globe and Mail.

In a tweet, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Canadians won’t be intimidated by Google’s behavior. “It’s...

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