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

Post by cavisne » Fri, Jun 30, 2023, 1:23 AM UTC

zerocrates wrote: post #391

Laaas wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would include HN

The law tries to sort of sidestep this issue by just upfront saying that it only applies if you have a "significant bargaining power imbalance" over the news companies you're displaying. Basically it only applies against you if you're big/important enough. I assume in practice this means Google, Facebook, Twitter, Bing, Apple, and probably some others. Reddit, I suppose.

Post by austhrow743 » Fri, Jun 30, 2023, 1:57 AM UTC

basisword wrote: post #333

graeme wrote: post #156

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>While Canada's bill may not be well-tuned, it is a welcome first attempt. The problem is media companies have been pushing this exact blueprint for d years. decades. It is a terrible, terrible template. If countries want to tax big tech and give the money to media organizations, they should be honest about it. Laws like this distort reality. >the current balance between news organizations and internet brokers isn't…

>> If countries want to tax big tech and give the money to media organizations, they should be honest about it. Laws like this distort reality. The idea that big tech would pay the appropriate amount of tax to the appropriate country is laughable.

Post by tensor » Fri, Jun 30, 2023, 2:05 AM UTC

gwright wrote: post #381

gostsamo wrote: post #282

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There is no vacuum in power. If it is not the government enforcing one mechanism, it will be another player leveraging another. The fantasy that if it wasn't for the government, everything would be sunshine and roses should be brought behind the barn and finished for good.

How do you define ‘power’. The unique aspect of government controls is that we grant the government a monopoly on force (imprisonment, seizure of property, etc). That is not the case with private actors and that is a significant and consequential difference in ‘power’.

Post by fomine3 » Fri, Jun 30, 2023, 2:08 AM UTC

danbtl wrote: post #51

reaperducer wrote: post #34

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Surely news publications benefit more from Google/Facebook providing links to their content? Actually, no. It might be a symbiotic relationship for a small-time blog, but for a major news organization, it isn't. The Toronto Star and Global TV don't need freepub from Google. One example among many: Most people see the headline – the headline written by a paid headline writer based on an article from a paid journalist…

You might be underestimating the amount of traffic Google sends to publishers through Google News. Anecdotally, I get Android notifications from CBC, Global, etc. through Google News daily and do sometimes click on them.

Post by saghm » Fri, Jun 30, 2023, 2:42 AM UTC

lemmox wrote: post #363

barbazoo wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. Would this prevent embedding links into your posts? I thought it's about platforms displaying enough information discouraging the person to visit the news site. I get that they want people to stay on their platforms 24/7 but I also g…

I thought so too, and thought that removing the sites from Google Search was a bit bullyish, but it looks like the bill specifically targets links in (2)(b). "Making available of news content (2) For the purposes of this Act, news content is made available if (a) the news content, or any portion of it, is reproduced; or (b) access to the news content, or any portion of it, is facilitated by any means, including an in…