Google said Thursday it will remove links to Canadian news from all of its Canadian platforms because of a new law that requires digital companies to pay compensation to news organizations for content they share or reuse in any way. any way.
The tech giant said it would remove Canadian news links from Google News – a personalized news service available on the web and on mobile devices that highlights local news – and Google Discover, a mobile functionality that helps people find content. .
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez accused Google of trying to intimidate Canadians, but added that “tech giants are not bigger than Canada”.
“Big tech companies would rather spend money changing their platforms and blocking Canadians from getting the news, than paying a small chunk of the billions of dollars they make from advertising,” Rodriguez tweeted.
Google said it informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of its decision. He did not say when he would start removing the news, but said it would happen before the law takes effect, which will be at the end of the year. The law was passed last week.
The company will only block Canadian news, so Canadians will still be able to read media content like Fox News or the BBC, for example.
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