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Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

ctvnews.ca

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Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#343

I was at Facebook working on ranking when a similar thing happened with Australia. Showing news is a net negative for Facebook and probably not very positive for Google. Facebook's short and long term metrics were better without news. Facebook and Google are basically doing charity when they link to local news sites. These laws make absolutely no sense when you think about that.

Well, the users of Facebook/Google would like to link to those sites, and Facebook/Google would like to keep those users...

Yes the users want that content, but generally not as much as they want other content that Facebook could show instead

Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even within the search results, there will be ads. If you search "what happened in Canada today", Google will link some news and there will likely be a sponsored link or some form of income-generating item for Google. Then there's the data you're generating as you use Google to navigate to the content you want, which can also be sold. Google connects you to content, every dollar they make is dependent on a non-Google…

I just tried, and didnt see any ads on news searches on canada news, or other news searches. Do you see any?

The fact you think YOU need to see ads next to search related to news DIRECTLY means you don't really understand Google's modus operandi.

They make money by building a profile from your usage. And then selling that profile to advertisers. They make money by having news, because they can build a profile based on what you click and sell ads to those same websites you visit.

Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#346
post #204
post #36

Many people who would otherwise be appalled at laws like this seem to want to rationalize this because its specifically targeting Google and Meta. Sometimes taking the simple view is correct: It's a bad thing to prevent sites from linking to one another. It's a bad thing to interfere with the ability to access information on the Internet for reasons of nationalist politics.

I don't see how we can call this nationalistic politics. I'm sure if a (hypothetical) Canadian big-tech impacted news organizations similarly, they would also have been a target of this law. Many of the biggest tech have origins in US and any country trying to make a law regulating businesses and technology within its borders is bound to impact American companies one way or the other. We can take the easy route and c…

I appreciate most of your argument and I also agree that we can't just use nationalism to dismiss laws like this BUT

"We may not agree with their laws but it is their right"

This statement can be used to justify any law. We are also not debating whether it's their right but if it's a good law.

Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#347

Most Canadian media is owned by asset-stripping American private equity firms, just like American newspapers. They just want to get paid, and have figured out a particular way that Canadian, Australian, German, and Californian legislators can be duped into it.

Globe and Mail is apparently owned by a Thompson (one of Canada's wealthiest families), and the CBC is run by the government. CTV is owned by Bell Media, part of Canada's telecom oligopoly. Global news is owned by Corus, a Canadian company. National Post is owned by Postmedia which is a publicly traded Canadian company, with majority ownership from an American PE firm. Is that what you mean?

Chatham owns dozens of Canadian newspapers via Postmedia, and dozens of U.S. newspapers via McClatchy. Their operating mode is the same in both countries: fire all the writers and editors.

I thought that Blackstone owned Globe and Mail but it seems they sold it in 2021 so your info is the current info.

Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the users of Facebook/Google would like to link to those sites, and Facebook/Google would like to keep those users...

Yes the users want that content, but generally not as much as they want other content that Facebook could show instead

I think this is one of those things where you might think that, and the numbers might show it, and yet if you remove it human nature will surprise you. People expect to be able to find and share everything, including the long tail of their interests. If they suddenly can't, they'll look for alternatives. In the case of Google, there are a lot of alternatives and while Google just keeps getting worse, the alternatives are better then ever.

Even if a person only searches for news items a few times a month, if they suddenly can't do that, they'll just go find an alternative search engine.

Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not dumb nationalism, it’s typical lobbying, sold as nationalism.

What's new? We have been using that same excuse to block out Japanese and Chinese goods in various eras. Just feels weird the Canadians are copying our playbook

They're using this playbook because it worked. Look at China, they were once a big threat to American Exceptionalism or whatever and now... ... oh. Nevermind.

Re: Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law

#350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they want to operate in the country. Is google going to leave whole countries just because of being required to use and compensate local news? Essentially it's a tariff.

Who decides what the tariff is?

The de facto government.
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