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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

#411
post #207
post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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…

> This doesn't make sense. Newspapers want links to their stories. Newspapers want monetization. There are three ways linking to stories equal monetization: * Newspapers get enough ad money through these link. This mostly doesn't work. * Newspapers cut their costs and deliver shitty clickbait. * Newspapers get funded by "philantropy". This ranges from newspapers independently funded by trust funds to newspapers being…

Or you know the fourth option - charge people money for access. Crazy I know.

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

#412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I do on YouTube before videos from CBC News. I actually don't on Google search results, but the search data you generate in the process of connecting with news sites can be used for a multitude of profitable uses-cases, including selling targeted ads elsewhere on the internet.

On YouTube I would think the CBC receives the same monetization deal as any other YouTuber.

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

#414

Surely news publications benefit more from Google/Facebook providing links to their content? It's a mutually beneficial relationship. I'm a bit puzzled as to why this was pushed, I'd love some context for this.

I recommend this podcast episode on the financial interests involved: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/podcast/episode-172-marc-edge-on...

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

#415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do on YouTube before videos from CBC News. I actually don't on Google search results, but the search data you generate in the process of connecting with news sites can be used for a multitude of profitable uses-cases, including selling targeted ads elsewhere on the internet.

On YouTube I would think the CBC receives the same monetization deal as any other YouTuber.

So isn't that in favour of what this bill is attempting to accomplish?

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

#416
post #309
post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You generally can't force someone to do business with another company. You can tax a company and give that company to another organization. But you can't force google to run google news in a given jurisdiction.

That may be mostly true in the US, but many other parts of the world are more authoritarian. For example, Australia passed a law forcing Google to negotiate with news publishers regarding payment.[1] When France passed a law requiring that Google pay news sites for linking to them, Google tried to stop linking to those sites. In response, France sued Google for half a billion dollars for antitrust violations. 1. http…

Facebook and Google pulled out of news after that law was passed. They only returned when Australian publishers agreed to negotiate outside the law.

For France, the devil is in the details. Google has agreements to fund news in many countries. This is generally a bribe it pays publishers not to pursue laws like this. Whereas the Canadian law seeks fairly unlimited payments.

So the question in the French case is how much Google could actually be forced to pay. It sounds like they can still accept an unreasonable deal.

https://www.politico.eu/article/french-competition-authority...

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

#417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they just showed the title and the link - like they used to - they it would drive revenue. But because they show a synopsis of the news, people very often don't click the link.

Google News does just show the title.

No, it also has the first ~140 characters of the article.

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

#418
post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's no imbalance here: newspapers produce content, search engines/social networks surface and link to it. The imbalance is that as platforms , newspapers cross-subsidize content. Interesting headlines attract readers to the newspaper, but once in hand readers are likely to continue reading the other, less unique articles. (See also why newspapers carry sports scores and comics). An investigative report is by it…

Personally I'd be happy to see the ad driven model die. It used to be that people bought newspapers or didn't read them. They still had some ads, granted, but far less intrusive than today's web ads with their colours and animations. I'm huge into supporting good journalism, and think we need some sort of intervention here. But I'm very very strongly opposed to this new law. If news sites want to charge for their con…

It used to be that you could get a paper for a quarter out of a machine on the street. That quarter covered printing and delivery. the newspaper had a classified ads section (plus inline ads, plus ad inserts) which actually funded the people who make the newspaper.

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

#419
post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadian media has always enjoyed some protectionism from the government. It's old, entrenched players wanting, and getting, something for nothing. The people that control our media and telecommunications in Canada could fit in a compact car. This doesn't have anything to do with the average person. It's all business and lobbying.

But does anyone actually win from this? Has someone behind C-18 run the numbers and found a way that this would increase revenue for Canadian media companies? I don't see how Meta and Google weren't completely predictable, and I don't see how Canadian media benefits from getting shut out. I am so confused.

its going to do the exact opposite of what they said its going to do. Google and meta will disable linking to canadian news sites, canadian news sites won't receive the revenue from those visits.

Meanwhile american news is still free to share in canada, so linking to american news will be the norm and the act to protect and fund canadian news will create an increase in consumption of US news and will remove money these companies already receive from google traffic.

It's so bad its upside down.

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

#420
post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But does anyone actually win from this? Has someone behind C-18 run the numbers and found a way that this would increase revenue for Canadian media companies? I don't see how Meta and Google weren't completely predictable, and I don't see how Canadian media benefits from getting shut out. I am so confused.

its going to do the exact opposite of what they said its going to do. Google and meta will disable linking to canadian news sites, canadian news sites won't receive the revenue from those visits. Meanwhile american news is still free to share in canada, so linking to american news will be the norm and the act to protect and fund canadian news will create an increase in consumption of US news and will remove money the…

This is the textbook definition of the "Lucas Critique" in that people/companies adjust their behavior to changing laws, often undercutting the supposed benefits of policy goals.
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