Published on June 29, 2023 at 1:28 p.m
(Photo: The Canadian Press)
OTTAWA – Google said Thursday it will remove links to Canadian news from its products due to the passage of a federal law forcing web giants to compensate media companies for the use of their content when it is published, shared or reused online.
The company says its search engine will no longer offer news links when the Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, takes effect later this year.
Google will also remove news links from Google News, a personalized aggregator, and Google Discover, a mobile phone feature that helps people find content online.
The tech company announced it would shut down Google News Showcase in Canada, a licensing program for news from more than 150 local publishers.
Google says it informed the Liberal government of its decision after Meta also announced it would remove information from its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram before the law takes effect.
The president of global affairs for Google and its parent company Alphabet, Kent Walker, said he was “disappointed that it had come to this” but said the legislation remained unenforceable.
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