Google on Thursday became the latest Silicon Valley giant to block access to its platform from Canadian news sites, after Ottawa passed a bill requiring digital giants to pay for such content.

The text, signed into law last week, aims to support Canada’s struggling news producer sector, which has seen hundreds of publications shut down over the past decade.

The law requires digital giants to settle with Canadian media and news sites for news and information shared on their platforms, or face binding arbitration.

In a statement, Google said the new law is “unenforceable” and the government has given no reason to believe that “structural problems with the legislation” can be resolved upon its implementation.

In a blog post, Google added that it will be “more difficult for Canadians to find information online” and “for journalists to reach their audience.”

However, users in the country will still be able to access news sites by entering their web address directly into the browser or through apps.

Google’s announcement comes after last-minute negotiations with the government failed to get the company on board.

The other tech giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced last Thursday that it would also block Canadian news sites on its platforms.

The two companies, dominant players in online advertising, have been accused of taking revenue from traditional media while using their content for free.

“We are advising the government that we have made the difficult decision … we will be removing links to Canadian news from our Discover search engine, news and products and Google News Showcase will no longer work in Canada,” the company said.

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The rule in Canada is based on Australia’s New Media Trading Code, the first of its kind in the world to require Google and Meta to pay for news content on their platforms.

At the end of 2021, AFP signed a five-year agreement on related rights with Google to remunerate the agency’s content.

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